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A review by book_concierge
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
3.0
Digital audiobook read by Euan Morton
3***
From the book jacket: A house in Bangkok is the confluence of lives shaped by upheaval, memory, and the lure of home. A missionary doctor pines for his native New England even as he succumbs to the vibrant chaos of nineteenth-century Siam. A post-World War II society woman marries, mothers, and holds court, little suspecting her solitary future. A jazz pianist in the age of rock, haunted by his own ghosts, is summoned to appease the house’s resident spirits. In the present, a young woman tries to outpace the long shadow of her political past. And in New Krungthep, savvy teenagers row tourists past landmarks of the drowned old city they themselves do not remember.
My reactions:
In general, I had a difficult time getting invested in this collection. I think it was not the book’s fault, though, but the press of other things occupying my thoughts. About a quarter of the way through, I put it aside, and didn’t return to it for a couple of weeks. It took me a couple of stories to get back into the rhythm of the work, but once I did, I enjoyed it.
Sudbanthad’s prose conveys a certain vibrancy, and he gives us characters that demand attention. Several of these characters make repeat appearances in the collection. Throughout, the neighborhoods and culture of Bangkok tie the work together. I’ve been to Bangkok several times; it is all the things I hate – crowded, noisy, polluted, hot and humid. And yet, I feel so alive when I am there, that I absolutely love it. Sudbanthad helped me feel some of that with his descriptions.
On the other hand, the timeline is not strictly linear. The settings range from historical to the present to a future that does not appeal to THIS reader and is a little more science-fiction than I was expecting.
I chose to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Euan Morton. He does a fine job, with clear diction and setting a good pace. However, I think this is a work best enjoyed in text format.
3***
From the book jacket: A house in Bangkok is the confluence of lives shaped by upheaval, memory, and the lure of home. A missionary doctor pines for his native New England even as he succumbs to the vibrant chaos of nineteenth-century Siam. A post-World War II society woman marries, mothers, and holds court, little suspecting her solitary future. A jazz pianist in the age of rock, haunted by his own ghosts, is summoned to appease the house’s resident spirits. In the present, a young woman tries to outpace the long shadow of her political past. And in New Krungthep, savvy teenagers row tourists past landmarks of the drowned old city they themselves do not remember.
My reactions:
In general, I had a difficult time getting invested in this collection. I think it was not the book’s fault, though, but the press of other things occupying my thoughts. About a quarter of the way through, I put it aside, and didn’t return to it for a couple of weeks. It took me a couple of stories to get back into the rhythm of the work, but once I did, I enjoyed it.
Sudbanthad’s prose conveys a certain vibrancy, and he gives us characters that demand attention. Several of these characters make repeat appearances in the collection. Throughout, the neighborhoods and culture of Bangkok tie the work together. I’ve been to Bangkok several times; it is all the things I hate – crowded, noisy, polluted, hot and humid. And yet, I feel so alive when I am there, that I absolutely love it. Sudbanthad helped me feel some of that with his descriptions.
On the other hand, the timeline is not strictly linear. The settings range from historical to the present to a future that does not appeal to THIS reader and is a little more science-fiction than I was expecting.
I chose to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Euan Morton. He does a fine job, with clear diction and setting a good pace. However, I think this is a work best enjoyed in text format.