The Storm
The central dramatic event of the book is the attempt to flee Vietnam by boat following the fall of Saigon in the last 1970’s. The event produces what would come to be known as the “boat people” and it is this experience which fuels the narrative. The description of the actual escape across the water is terrifying for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the predictability of unpredictable weather:
“Soon the sky darkened further, turning a sinister, tumultuous black as the wind shrieked and skidded across the deck like a panicking ghost.”
Primeminister
As a boy, the author has a school assignment to write about they wanted to be when they grew up. Without really understanding what it meant—or even that it was two different words—he announces he is going to grow up to “primeminister” and then comes home to proudly tell the family:
“My mum’s brothers didn’t exactly laugh, but they ruffled my hair and said ‘Of course you are’, as if it was kind of cute—you know, like if a young Danny DeVito had said, ‘I’m going to captain the LA Lakers.’”
The Waves
The weather quickly worsens. The tiny boat was tossed by enormous waves. The blackness of night made seeing not actually seeing what was happening simultaneously a blessing and a curse. The worst fears were being realized:
“Mum climbed in and looked back, taking one last anxious look at the men of her family, who were rushing and yelling, their screams torn from their throats by the howling wind…She looked up to see an enormous wall of grey-green water that appeared to have swallowed the sky. It was as though the bottom of the ocean was about to crash down on top of us.”
Dancing with the Stars
Things really begin to change for the author after accepting an invitation to appear on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars. By no means one of the more naturally talented dancers, he nevertheless manages to make it almost to the end. This outcome cannot be attributed to those charged with professional judgment:
“For most of the series the judges had slaughtered me in the scoring. Fair enough, I guess, I’m really not that great a dancer.”
It’s a Small but Pleasant World
The purchase of a rather enormous aquarium he proceeds to fill with rocks, caves, plants, lights, heaters, filters and other assorted add-ons becomes a thing of great pride for the author. It is a gift of supreme pleasure for the fish lucky enough to be calling it home. Or, as he metaphorically describes it:
“It was like Disneyland for fish, with everything a fish could ever desire.”
