Ratings7
Average rating4.1
On Wayo-wayo, every second son has to sail into the wide sea as sacrifice to the Sea God on the day he turns fifteen. Atile'i is one such boy. Being the strongest swimmer and best sailor on the island, he sets out to defy destiny. His journey takes him across the ocean to a vast and strange island, one which is built of material he's never seen before and devoid of any signs of life.
Reviews with the most likes.
I loved this (I read his later book The Stolen Bicycle first, which made me pick up this one).
It might be one of the saddest, and yet most beautiful books I've read. A mixture of magical realism, environmental concerns, and Taiwanese indigenous culture, it was written over 10 years ago, and the environmental issues it predicts have only gotten worse and more hopeless since. In the end it's down to a small black and white rescue cat to give the main protagonist a reason to keep living, which seems apt.
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