The Man with the Compound Eyes: A Novel

This one of the most compelling novels set against the backdrop of climate change in Taiwan set somewhat in the future. There are two stories – one of a college professor who has lost her husband and son in a climbing accident and has considered suicide, and one of a second born son in a South Pacific island who is set adrift on a wooden boat since his community cannot care for him.The two stories ultimately intersect, but we are also introduced to several characters, among them an aboriginal young man who returns to care for the forest, and several scientists engaged in various types of ocean and other research, who hold our attention.They are lyrical passages, and possibly the most ingenious thing that happens in this novel is that the young teenager from the South Pacific is inadvertently rescued when he hits upon one of the rubbish patches drifting in the South Pacific. The entire story is ultimately woven together, but every character is so compelling that we get completely absorbed into their specific, and radically different worlds.Most climate fiction has an apocalyptic fervor to it, but here the mood is melancholy and ultimately in places even hopeful.

This was a really interesting book. The shift in tones was a little jarring in some places, and the message a little heavy at times, but there were some things that I really loved about this book. The invented island culture and their mythology and customs by themselves would have made an amazing book, basically all the parts of the book involving the wayo-wayoans. There was so much clarity and beauty in those passages they almost didn't match with the rest of the book. This was really nicely blended and contrasted with the various ethnic groups from Taiwan who were also quite interesting. The parts involving the titular character were really interesting and reminded me of Murakami at his best. Some elements in the story were fairly predictable but there were a couple great twists that came out of left field. This is a book about loneliness and damage so it can be a bit heavy at times, but it was a great read.

This may not be a book for everyone, but it certainly resonated with me. The writing is beautiful, lyrical at times. Detail, descriptions of the environment and its inhabitants - not only humans but trees, animals, etc.- bring you visually into the story and excite the imagination.. Characters are interesting for the most part but it is the trash vortex which was the star of the book for me. I believe it would help readers to list the characters as they appear as well as other information such as the aboriginal designations.. I did check back from time to time. I also went beyond the book and researched all sorts of information that had interested me during the read. A must for environmentalists.A

The first half of this book is very well done, especially the descriptions of the island nation, but the later half suffers from being heavy-handed with its environmental message. There are a number of ways that message could have been incorporated in a more subtle fashion and, in fact, the book had been doing so fairly consistently throughout the first half.Overall, I can't say I recommend it to most readers. The surrealistic elements that I had hoped for only exist in the form of the titular character, who makes three or so appearances in the last third to offer cryptic messages and then disappears. Two characters are introduced for apparently the sole purpose of expo-dumping environmental information. If it wasn't for the strong first half, I would give this a 2/5.

I felt honored to be able to read this book! It has a compassionate point-of-view and makes me feel better about the future of the Earth and Us, her peoples! It is a strange mix of settings and attitudes, but chock full of ideas and information that are both challenging and comforting to this modern mind. Though a lot of the novel is focused on an influx of modern-day problems--population growth, the gyre of plastic trash in the ocean, human loneliness--there is a glimmer of hopefulness throughout and a generous, yet realistic view of the human race!

This is a must read for our human-dominated world so that we come into a more harmonius relationship with Nature and each other. I LOVED this book. I learned so much about Taiwan, the indigenous people of the region, engineering, words, spirituality and the ocean. The story touched my heart, my soul, my body and my mind.

A combination of environmental disaster and magic realism that brings together people of many nations, the aboriginal people of Taiwan, and a boy from an unknown island. Each goes through their own memories of their lives even as a massive island of trash slams into Taiwan. A book that will make you think of your favorite beautiful places that could be lost to environmental disaster.

Nice storyline, with a combination of aboriginal tales and current events.However, regarding to all the novels written by Ming-Yi Wu, my favorite one is "The stolen Bicycle", which I would highly recommend.

I must admit I was drawn to this book by the cover- but the contents didn't disappoint. Initially I didn't really get on with the writing style but the plot was intriguing enough to draw me in.Whilst it is primarily the story of Alice and Atile'i the narrative strands come from a variety of characters from the missing husband and son to the eponymous Man with the Compound Eyes. There are moments that feel quite Murakami-esque but other moments that feel very different- the novel has a strident ecological theme running through it. Also slightly reminds me of the earlier David Mitchell novels.The book doesn't feel derivative however, it is probably just the closest thing I can think of in categorising an entirely new reading experience. Part of the pleasure was just learning something about Taiwan, before this I was pretty much a blank state on it. The plot is also very engrossing; exciting, moving, sad and at times completely unpredictable. I was sorry to see this is the only book of his in translation- hopefully it won't be the last1

This book seemed to ramble in several different and seemingly irrelevant directions until about two thirds of the way through when the various strands started to come together. I’m not sure about the reason for the man with the compound eyes character, he only appears for a few paragraphs towards the end of the book as some sort of forest-spirit; a centaur or faun would serve just as well. That said it is an excellent read overall, if somewhat juvenile in parts, all the stuff about Wayo Wayo island and Atile’i. Alice, Thom and their son are the core characters. The climax when it comes is entirely unexpected and unsettling, so I won’t elaborate further. An excellent eco-fantasy thriller.

Read the 'stolen bicycal' this I fine but a little more difficult to comprehen

Nice!

I don't often review books but wanted to leave a little message here. Please persevere with this book. It's an astounding creation that deserves to be read widely. Unfortunately I don't think this translation has done the book justice. What was probably a haunting and evocative Taiwanese novel is now riddled with clumsy and awkward syntax. It's impossible for the English-speaking reader to tell if these errors were made by the author or the translator. Worse still, frequent American slang also detracts from the book's authenticity and really ruins suspension of disbelief. If you're willing to approach the book as an American interpretation, I feel there is still much to be enjoyed.When I finished the book I felt like I'd just arrived home after a long holiday.