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I particularly enjoyed the stories and beliefs of the Wayo Wayo people, who live in perfect harmony with nature and their leaders, the Earth Sage and the Sea Sage. The language is vivid with environmental catastrophes described in a mystic way. The book talks about loneliness, loss, our relationship with nature, the cultural mix of the Aboriginals and the locals. The secondary characters of Alice\u2019s friend, Dahu, a Bunun aboriginal who majors in forest ecology and Hafay, a Pangcah, who works as a masseuse in seedy places as a part of her struggle for independence add charm to the story. There are beautiful passages that talk about heart of mountains, sound of mountains, walking trees, butterflies and deers that morph into goats which I loved in the book.<\/p>\n
Though the issue of dumping waste into sea was thought provoking and shocking, the take on seal hunting and the sub- characters associated with it seem non convincing. The book can be didactic at times and I felt the author focuses on too many issues at the same time. The Man with Compound Eyes (as the title goes) contributes very little to the plot. I have mixed feelings about this book as even though I came across\u00a0many enjoyable passages, the inclusions of some sub characters seem revolting. You can try this book if you like a mix of realism and magical realism interspersed with ecological issues, folklores and cultures. The book is something you will finish with an ache in your heart.<\/p>\n
Title: The Man With The Compound Eyes:
\nAuthor: Wu Ming-Yi
\nTranslated by: Darryl Sterk from the Taiwanese
\nPublished: 2011
\nLanguage: English
\nPages: 304
\nRating: 3.5\/5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Atile’i is a second son, who must be sacrificed to the Sea God the day he turns fifteen according to the rules of his home island, Wayo Wayo. The story is about … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6307,16,6308],"tags":[6888,462,431,59,31,9456,9457,40],"thb-sponsors":[],"yoast_head":"\n