Defying the social restrictions of 1927, Katherine, a young American doctor, crosses the Ma’rhu River in the obscure tropical country of Takau. Determined to open a clinic in the slums of Am’rha Bo, Katherine wins hearts and defies authorities. She survives an earthquake and gets tangled in a violent revolution. Her soul is awakened and she experiences the revelations of cultural immersion. As The Island Gardens of Takau disclose their secrets, she discovers allies in unlikely guises and a lover whose extravagant idealism finally exceeds her own.
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About the Author
G.L. Kay holds degrees in comparative literature, environmental studies, and science communication. Widely travelled, he counts Myanmar and India as his strongest influences. Kay lives in southern Oregon.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Nothing could have prepared me for my first days in Am’rha Bo. Rank upon rank of hovels climbed the slope from the river’s edge to the crowns of the hills. Alleyways wound along the contours. Fetid gutters and crumbling walls defined the corridors. Naked children and mothers in rags huddled in crooked doorways. They always watched me walk by. They watched with unselfconscious and seemingly unquenchable curiosity, studying me as I passed, even after I had climbed the same worn stairs fifty times. The people sculpted low tenements of mud and straw that eroded away when the rains came. Some tiled their walls with hammered paraffin tins and other trash. Many used tattered blankets as doors. But they all exploited the river reeds for myriad uses ‘ from thatched roofs to floor mats ‘ because it was readily available and free building material. It was here the poor and illiterate Rizha survived without basic comforts. The slums were a bombardment of the senses, a centuriesold injustice, and a showcase for human suffering. But Am’rha Bo was also a magnificent paradox. Wildflowers grew out of rooftops. A decaying wall was an excuse for a wooden gate carved with leaves and branches finer than those of the tree felled long ago to make it. No exposed beam or lintel went unadorned. The Rizha carved and painted forests of botanical forms or, just as often, wildeyed comically ferocious beasts. Muscular and sensual in the evening light, the long, tawny facades curved ever mysteriously down the alleys and out of view. These buildings wore the marks of uninterrupted occupation over countless generations; endlessly blessed and cursed and repaired. Bare human feet wore deep indentations in stone steps.
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More About the Author
The settings and cultures that evolve in G.L. Kay's writing are strongly influenced by his travels around the world. Kay lives in southern Oregon, though he would like to spend part of the year in Italy. He holds degrees in comparative literature, environmental studies, and science communication. Given more time, he would study C.G. Jung, entomology, and Sanskrit. He would like to see democracy in Burma and a global ban on landmines.
Visit his world at www.takau.info
Visit his world at www.takau.info
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5.0 out of 5 stars
In the Pursuit of an Ideal,
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This review is from: The Island Gardens of Takau (Paperback)
The Island Gardens of Takau. Although the book is written as an allegory of one Kay's past relationships, the book offers a gripping commentary on the dangers of pursuing a quixotic ideal to its end. The story takes place in the mid-1920s, at a time when the U.S. is energized with Modernism and all the progress it offers. A young woman named Katherine is bent on bringing Western medicine to the impoverished country of Takau, come hell or high water, of which she gets both.During her first visit to the guildmasters who rule the oppressed country, Katherine meets her love interest of the story. Kai is a dashing idealistic clan leader who has received his education in the States. His eyes beam with optimism and adoration for the gutsy Katherine, and he does all he can to help her realize her dream of a modern medical clinic designed to help the poor people of Takau. The Island Gardens of Takau starts with slow strife. Monsoons, a confrontational medicine woman and an aggravated police chief are just a few of the difficulties Katherine faces in the pursuit of her dream. Yet, despite the high degree of action that takes place during the first half of the book, the first half of the book is idyllic, nicely balanced out with a rich tapestry of food, revelry and myth. Katherine and Kai spend many nights strolling through his palatial gardens, complete with complexly crafted irrigation and statues of gods and goddesses nearly forgotten. Their place of refuge further spurs on their dreams of an ideal Takau, with both sides of the tiny country united by a grand bridge. It is from here that the pace of the book quickens. From the moment of conception until the crushing moment the bridge opens, Katherine and Kai's world spins out of control and the reader is left to contemplate the consequences of dreams gone unchecked. Although Takau faces a severe outcome, the book ends on a positive note. Through all her idealistic pursuits, Katherine unknowingly plants seeds more potent than any of her intentional actions -- an inspired and empowered young woman.
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