: The crocodiles are the subject of "Crocodile Fever," where experts and the public obsess over their habits while completely failing to recognize their humanity. This satirizes the way Taiwanese media in the 1990s treated lesbian identity as a morbid spectacle or a scientific anomaly.

: The novel uses surrealist vignettes featuring "crocodiles" who wear human suits to blend into society. These segments serve as a biting allegory for the performative nature of queer life in a heteronormative world.

Qiu Miaojin tragically died by suicide at the age of 26, shortly after the book's publication. Her work became a cult classic, transforming her into an icon of the Taiwanese LGBTQ+ movement. Today, the 2017 English translation by Bonnie Huie (published by NYRB Classics) has brought her voice to a global audience, ensuring that Lazi’s "notes" continue to resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Accessing the Book