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In a tale that combines the clash of cultures, the lure of the exotic, and the brutal reality of a refugee’s life into a memorable human comedy, we come to understand what it means to be an american. The saviors of this witty novel set in a Vietnamese refugee camp are a pair of americans who find themselves fomenting rebellion. “Eggers is a first novelist of rare taste and intelligence as well as rare experience” (Jane Smiley).
"In fact, it is the only thing they can do, because the promise of the novel turns out to be a promise that cannot ever be kept - every world, is far more complex, with more characters, meanings, nuances and events, than even the largest novel. The illusion that complexity is being comprehended and made sense of comes from the author's style, his control of the network of references and resonances that allow the novel to mimic chaos, but still have meaning. "Eggers' Saviors shows this very control. There is no hesitation here, there are no false notes, wrong attempts or indecisive moves, as there are with most first-time authors. Eggers' language is precise and audacious, fresh and clear. And yet, it is impossible to know whether these are qualities of the author's 'style,' in some way separate from his chosen subject matter.
What seems more the case is that the world of the novel, a Malaysian refugee camp for Vietnamese boat people in 1979, has found its precise, audacious, fresh and clear expression through first-time author Eggers, who teaches at the University of Nebraska. I consider this a virtue. The novel gives off no feeling that the author has made use of his experiences for his own artistic purposes, but rather that he has stepped back and allowed the places and voices of that time and that place to express themselves through him."
Overview
In a tale that combines the clash of cultures, the lure of the exotic, and the brutal reality of a refugee’s life into a memorable human comedy, we come to understand what it means to be an american. The saviors of this witty novel set in a Vietnamese refugee camp are a pair of americans who find themselves fomenting rebellion. “Eggers is a first novelist of rare taste and intelligence as well as rare experience” (Jane Smiley).