The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

Before Tin loses his vision, the beauty of sound makes a profound impression on him. Lying in bed with Su Kyi, Tin relishes the sound of her voice when she tells him stories; when she finishes a story, he asks her to “sing another one” (76). As he loses his sight, his connection with sound increases. He experiences a series of revelatory events, each enhancing his Full Depth of Awareness of sounds, ability to distinguish them, and grasp of what they can teach him about the world.

Tin eventually encounters the perfect source of sound—Mi Mi, a girl whose voice is so pure, it can heal. The pair explore the world by its sounds, which Tin equates to learning new vocabulary. Jan-Philipp Sendker uses sound and hearing to symbolize the full range of human perception. He posits that humans are only marginally invested in the use of their senses and if they developed them, they would be able to approach life with gratitude, much like Tin.

Superstition and religious fervor are discussed throughout the narrative. A typical practice that Sendker describes involves individuals or families visiting the community sage, or astrologer, who practices numerology.