Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I don't know how to review this book. I don't even know how to shelve it.
Ok. So. It's about a house in Krung Thep, aka Bangkok to westerners. And it's told via a non-linear progression of vignettes that reach back to the late 1800's and forward to the 2050s? 60s? And there are overlapping characters.
Wait.
You know how I recently complained that I didn't really get a sense of Korea in [b:The Plotters|39618887|The Plotters|Un-su Kim|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522110029s/39618887.jpg|61201269]? The opposite happened here; I felt immersed in Bangkok. The funny thing is, I was only there - in Bangkok, not in this book - for maybe two days? I enjoyed those two days immensely and was enchanted by the city but it's not like I felt any deep sense of connection in my brief stay. And yet, this story is so moist and it's hot and there are fish smells and sour smells and rotting vegetation smells and concrete and tropical flowers blooming at temples and little shops that sell all kinds of things and it was all so vivid, so recognizable; I felt like I was back in Bangkok! And for the parts of the story that take place in England or America, it was obvious that the setting was not Thailand.
Uh...ok, if you liked [b:The Red Garden|8389671|The Red Garden|Alice Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388293576s/8389671.jpg|13247769] because of how it's structured, you'll like this.
If you liked [b:Pachinko|34051011|Pachinko|Min Jin Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529845599s/34051011.jpg|50384116] because it showed you a bit of Asian history you're not used to reading about, you'll like this.
If you liked [b:Homegoing|27071490|Homegoing|Yaa Gyasi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448108591s/27071490.jpg|47113792] because it's a sweeping story that takes place across countries, you'll like this.
Or maybe you won't, I don't know.
But I loved it. I was gathered in and carried along and I am sad it is over.
More than any other book, it reminded me of [b:Here|29954647|Here|Richard McGuire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461044343s/29954647.jpg|39860214] but instead of the corner of a room, we have a house and we're not stuck there, it's just the anchor that keeps the stories together.
I took copious notes while listening to this. I'm going to need to let it all settle in my mind, go back and read my notes, and then try this again later because this book deserves a glowing review and I am just offering rambling shambles.
Ok. So. It's about a house in Krung Thep, aka Bangkok to westerners. And it's told via a non-linear progression of vignettes that reach back to the late 1800's and forward to the 2050s? 60s? And there are overlapping characters.
Wait.
You know how I recently complained that I didn't really get a sense of Korea in [b:The Plotters|39618887|The Plotters|Un-su Kim|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522110029s/39618887.jpg|61201269]? The opposite happened here; I felt immersed in Bangkok. The funny thing is, I was only there - in Bangkok, not in this book - for maybe two days? I enjoyed those two days immensely and was enchanted by the city but it's not like I felt any deep sense of connection in my brief stay. And yet, this story is so moist and it's hot and there are fish smells and sour smells and rotting vegetation smells and concrete and tropical flowers blooming at temples and little shops that sell all kinds of things and it was all so vivid, so recognizable; I felt like I was back in Bangkok! And for the parts of the story that take place in England or America, it was obvious that the setting was not Thailand.
Uh...ok, if you liked [b:The Red Garden|8389671|The Red Garden|Alice Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388293576s/8389671.jpg|13247769] because of how it's structured, you'll like this.
If you liked [b:Pachinko|34051011|Pachinko|Min Jin Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529845599s/34051011.jpg|50384116] because it showed you a bit of Asian history you're not used to reading about, you'll like this.
If you liked [b:Homegoing|27071490|Homegoing|Yaa Gyasi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448108591s/27071490.jpg|47113792] because it's a sweeping story that takes place across countries, you'll like this.
Or maybe you won't, I don't know.
But I loved it. I was gathered in and carried along and I am sad it is over.
More than any other book, it reminded me of [b:Here|29954647|Here|Richard McGuire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461044343s/29954647.jpg|39860214] but instead of the corner of a room, we have a house and we're not stuck there, it's just the anchor that keeps the stories together.
I took copious notes while listening to this. I'm going to need to let it all settle in my mind, go back and read my notes, and then try this again later because this book deserves a glowing review and I am just offering rambling shambles.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3, bordering a 4. Well written, but I don't really know what to make of the narrative.
This is a first novel packed with ambition that hits most of its marks. It's a sprawling and at times loosely connected tale that stitches together lives in Krungthep across centuries and into the future. The cast of characters is extensive enough to send you pecking around online for a list just to keep track. For some readers, this decade spanning won't work. If you're focused on character, this can feel like a loosely and sometimes too conveniently connected set of short stories. But Sudbanthad is at least as interested in place as in people, and seen as a meditation on a city--and particularly on a single piece of property within that city--the novel takes on different dimensions. The lives of these characters feel poured into the land, which absorbs both triumph and tragedy and presses on into its flooded future, with each life rippling across the surface and fading into stillness, largely forgotten.
I may not return to this novel, but this is good enough to make me want to pick up Sudbanthad's next novel.
I may not return to this novel, but this is good enough to make me want to pick up Sudbanthad's next novel.
A great novel full of loosely intertwined stories about Bangkok's past, present, and near future; the environment; and quiet lives in a chaotic city. I loved the same landmarks popping up in various contexts, and the role water plays in the city throughout the stories and eras Sudbanthad depicts.
DNF at 80% - 300 pages in! Really wanted to like this but the storylines shifted so suddenly and operated more like disjointed short stories, the timeline remained unclear throughout the book, and the final chapters took such a huge pivot that I just couldn’t stay interested. I did enjoy the author’s actual writing.
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
reflective
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated