Dano Nissen, 134 TESS
With the halcyon socializing days of the schoolyard behind us all, we, post-grad twenty somethings to seventy somethings over here in the Peace Corps, have to socialize adult style. “Advanced” adult style, considering we are all spread over the country. Even the most intrepid biker would balk at cycling over to their nearest volunteer’s site, although I’ve heard tell of it happening.
So, some of us have resorted to the most geriatric form of socializing – a book club. We’re three books in, well…really two and a half. Hopefully we’ll chug along to a third and a halfth book, but like most book clubs we’re foundering.
If you missed the last edition, ratings range from 1 chang (ช) to 5 changs (ช) up to a golden chang (ช) for the most distinguished honorees.
The Four Reigns
Written by: Kukrit Pramo; Translated by: Tulachandra
Our little club was nearly snuffed in its cradle. But alas, we persevered. After a heated debate, a WhatsApp poll and my protestations that this “looked really boring” we settled on this historical fiction book. The narrative spans from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th, but our attention spanned a mere few weeks. Most of us, myself included, couldn’t conquer this slog; only the brave, the few and the nerdy prevailed. I barely dipped my feet into the first reign. I have it on good authority, i.e., the title, there were three more. No thanks.
Initially a newspaper serial, the stories were novelized in the 1950s. It shows how Thai society changes during the hundred prior years through the experiences of a girl who lives in the royal court. It’s didactic with its themes and historical interpretation and lifeless with its translated prose. You’d have more fun with a textbook.
We team huddled in our group chat and decided to ditch this snoozefest of a tome for something more contemporary.
No changs for this one, because I didn’t read…I mean the feral neighborhood dogs ate my book report.
Sightseeing
Written by: Rattawut Lapcharoensap
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Every year tens of millions of international travelers arrive in Bangkok for, among other things, sightseeing. You could conjure up an elephant pants wearing stereotype taking the perfect Instagram picture at Maya Bay pretty quickly in your mind. Thailand is a tourist destination. And a tourist’s perspective is quite limited.
The first short story in this collection is titled “Farang,” and is about the tensions between locals and the eponymous foreigners that come in droves. We begin the journey as a parochial tourist and get to see how the narrator, a half Thai – half American beach resort worker, feels about us.
We get to see through the eyes of a Thai mother going blind, haggling at the market through it all. A Thai Pi (older sibling) and Nawng (younger sibling) getting into mischief. A young woman and her family mixed up in a cockfighting imbroglio. Teenagers caught in the pomp and circumstance and dread of a military draft ceremony. An old, prejudiced American man accompanying his son and his Thai wife on vacation.
Rattawut Lapcharoensap, the Thai-American author, weaves a multi-lensed tapestry which is accessible and enjoyable to even the most clueless farang. This is a great primer for anyone thinking of visiting Thailand and especially useful for Peace Corps volunteers, as one of the primary goals of our service is to broaden our perspective on the world.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain
Written by: Pitchaya Sudbanthad
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An old Thai joke goes, “There are three seasons in Thailand: hot, really hot and really really hot.” In reality there is a cool season (allegedly), hot season and wet season. But the constant heat makes it seem as if the seasons don’t change – as if we’re in an inescapable hotness.
“Bangkok Wakes to Rain” is about the changing of the seasons, figuratively and literally, as a central cataclysmic weather event would have it (no spoilers). Thailand is changing.
Like “Sightseeing” we have a host of characters with vastly different perspectives, from Western ex-expats to Thai teenagers in the near future. From these disparate voices, this is a lamentation of things gone, a panegyric of things missed and song of hope for the future.
As far as interconnected storyline books go, it does well in putting in conversation with each other an eclectic bunch in an interesting way, but lacks a satisfying “it all fits together” punch.
Living in Thailand, you can see the clash of the old and the new, the traditional and modern and Pi and Nawng. This book really captures that spirit. In Thailand, the seasons do indeed change.
Sticky Rice 
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