Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita (1997)

Tropic of Orange is a story which could only be told with the written word. It reads like poetry in that it isn't ever really clear what on earth is going on. It is so unrealistic, not just because there are impossible events, and not at all because there are inconsistencies within the world that is created, but because the "world" that is created is... weird. Infinitely small, unconcerned of anything outside of the micro-cosmic stories that are told, and constantly changing. Events, or whatever you would call them, are hardly described or explained by the Karen resulting in an almost an 'Alice in Wonderland' feel.

But not really. It is unique. The blending of fantasy and reality in this book is more, how to say, 'adult' than in any of the other stories I have been experiencing lately. Because it affects adults who sort of ignore it. Because they, and you as the reader, have trouble understanding it and putting it to words.

This book is very complicated. I do not really feel adequate to writing a review of Tropic of Orange after having read it only once. It really must be read twice or thrice to get the whole picture. This is a book for "Bibliophiles Only". It's brilliance is in its the diversity of writing and the skill of the prose. There are thoughtful morsels of philosophy, which everyone can benefit from, and which are needed now, 13 years after it was first published, about globalization, the idiocy of NAFTA, and tolerance, but I fear that they are inaccessible to most readers who will tire of reading such a complex book. This book takes some work.

If a challange, or a unique book, are what you are after, Tropic of Orange is a very good one to pick up. It is enjoyable though there are some rather long lists, some of which go on for almost a page, which blend into the style. Still, on one or two I wondered if they were methods Karen employed simply to extend the length of the book. The weave of this book impresses me greatly and I am grateful for the character-chapter map which comes after the more standard table of contents.