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sam_bizar_wilcox's review
3.0
Slice-of-life impressions are assembled around a story of a young boy who, when abandoned by his family, is taken in by his community. I really appreciate this book as an authentic and character-driven glimpse into a contemporary (yet timeless feeling) Thailand, which I feel isn't often available in English translations for American markets. Duanwad Pimwana is heralded as a major Thai feminist writer (her collection of short stories is published by the Feminist Press in the US), though this novel focuses more on male relationships, which I found interesting. A missing father gives space for gender criticism and feminism that don't center directly on girlhood. Rather, it's a glimpse at how one is masculinized, and how the life of adults yields consequences that ripple through their surroundings.
pooklatirelire's review
4.0
3.5 stars
this is the first thai novel written by a woman to be translated into english, and i can't help but be proud of my nationality. however, i feel like if you don't have enough knowledge and familiarity with thai culture, it will be very difficult to understand the context and how special these tiny moments are to the characters. the thing i liked about this book was how the author portrayed the lives of working class people in thailand, and how they could find joy in the smallest of things. i felt connected so much to these stories because these little memories were also part of my childhood back in bangkok, so they were super special to me. if you are looking for a happy and super heartwarming book, read this.
but the cast was so big that it was hard to keep track of each character, and each chapter didn't really have a narrative connection to the last. i felt more like a set of vignettes throughout the protagonist's life. and the writing style was so simple and straightforward that it was sometimes too direct.
i wish i could have read this in thai (i am fluent in thai) but i couldn't find the original version anywhere so i had to read it in english instead.
this is the first thai novel written by a woman to be translated into english, and i can't help but be proud of my nationality. however, i feel like if you don't have enough knowledge and familiarity with thai culture, it will be very difficult to understand the context and how special these tiny moments are to the characters. the thing i liked about this book was how the author portrayed the lives of working class people in thailand, and how they could find joy in the smallest of things. i felt connected so much to these stories because these little memories were also part of my childhood back in bangkok, so they were super special to me. if you are looking for a happy and super heartwarming book, read this.
but the cast was so big that it was hard to keep track of each character, and each chapter didn't really have a narrative connection to the last. i felt more like a set of vignettes throughout the protagonist's life. and the writing style was so simple and straightforward that it was sometimes too direct.
i wish i could have read this in thai (i am fluent in thai) but i couldn't find the original version anywhere so i had to read it in english instead.
karinlib's review
4.0
Kampol is a 5 year old boy whose parents abandoned him. The community took him in, and took turns caring for him. The community made sure that he had food and a place to sleep.
This was really a delightful book (I found myself really angry at his parents for their neglect), and I really liked all the characters that became surrogate parents.
This was really a delightful book (I found myself really angry at his parents for their neglect), and I really liked all the characters that became surrogate parents.
racoonorj's review
5.0
This is so wholesome and beautiful. A perfect quick read for anyone who wants to complete their 'Women in Translation' read with a full heart <3
sic_corneille's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thishannah's review
This was a quiet, lovely portrait of a community and and the lives of the people in it. I thought the structure of the book was really refreshing: each chapter was a little vignette/episode in the life of Kampol, a small child abandoned by his parents and left to the care of the community. The through-line of Kampol's reckoning with his parents' actions held the novel together, but the real beauty of the story was in the individual moments with the various characters in the neighborhood. It isn't an action-packed book that compels you to keep flipping pages, but one that is good to read in bits and pieces at the end of a long day when you want to spend time with some familiar faces.
halcyon_nights's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Duanwad Pimwana strikes a very strange but balanced tone in this story: it's about a boy who was basically abandoned by his parents to be raised by the adults of his neighborhood (and thus no one stands out as a consistent parental figure) while also being about a group of people who own very little and yet choose to share some of that with a parentless child.
The episodes showing Kampol's life are both sad and what could otherwise be normal snippets of a young child's life--if you ignore the fact that he doesn't actually have a permanent home and -for a while- was not even going to school like the other kids were. The author does not insert herself into the narration in that way, only leaving the innocent observations and thoughts of a five-year-old child.
I did wish we saw more of some of the other characters and their fate or had a more fleshed out story since the author rarely refers back to previous chapters as the story progressed. I did appreciate this look into the life of an effectually orphaned boy and how the people around him attempt, in their own ways, to fill in the huge gap in his life. I wonder what kind of adult this child makes?
The episodes showing Kampol's life are both sad and what could otherwise be normal snippets of a young child's life--if you ignore the fact that he doesn't actually have a permanent home and -for a while- was not even going to school like the other kids were. The author does not insert herself into the narration in that way, only leaving the innocent observations and thoughts of a five-year-old child.
I did wish we saw more of some of the other characters and their fate or had a more fleshed out story since the author rarely refers back to previous chapters as the story progressed. I did appreciate this look into the life of an effectually orphaned boy and how the people around him attempt, in their own ways, to fill in the huge gap in his life. I wonder what kind of adult this child makes?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment