Ms. Dai and Lan

Author: Zhu Yiyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: The novel unfolds with the protagonist's strange experiences in Japan. The protagonist works as an underwater cleaner at an aquarium in Japan, where the two white whales, a male named Simba and a female named Friday, die in an accidental incident. The protagonist and another woman put on fish skin and, equipped with special gear, become the new "Simba" and "Friday" at the aquarium. Throughout the story, the protagonist never sees the face of "Friday," but she knows that she is from China and possibly also from Shanghai. In the early 1990s, the protagonist returns to Shanghai, where past experiences intertwine with the present. The protagonist's girlfriend, Chen Xier, deeply loves him but is often tormented by his uncontrollable past. The protagonist discovers that Chen Xier's aerobics instructor, Ms. Dai, is very similar to the "Friday" from the Japanese aquarium.