The Man with the Compound Eyes

The English-language debut of an exciting new award-winning voice from Taiwan — a stunning novel that is at once fantasy, reality, and dystopian environmental saga, in which the lives of two people from very different worlds intertwine under the shadow of a man-made catastrophe.

On the mythical island of Wayo-Wayo, young Atile’i has just seen his 180th full moon and, following the tradition of his people, is sent out alone into the vast Pacific as a sacrifice to the Sea God. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, he happens upon a new home — a vast island made of trash. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, Alice, a professor of literature, is preparing to commit suicide following the disappearance of her husband and son. But her plans are put on hold when the trash island collides with the Taiwan coast where Alice lives. Her home is destroyed, but meeting Atile’i gives her life new meaning as they set out to solve the mystery of her lost family. Drawing in the narratives of others impacted by the disaster — Alice’s friends and neighbors, environmentalists from abroad, the mysterious man with compound eyes — the novel tells an enthralling, surreal story of the known — and unknown — world around us.