A review by emergencily
Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap

emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A collection of short stories set in Thailand written by a Thai American author. 

Not a happy book but an interesting one that contemplates different themes and issues, such as the impact of tourism, racism, refugees and war, class privilege, political corruption, sexual violence, etc. The collection is strongly grounded in its setting - you can feel the author's affection and nostalgia for Thailand. It tells its stories with love and compassion for its flawed and human characters. A blessed exception to so much literature about Thailand available in English that is objectifying and exotifying. Every jab at the imports of Western imperialism and its heralds, the annoying tourists, was both gratifying and humorous.

The last story about cock (roosters, okay?) fighting and a generational revenge story was a longer one but definitely my favourite. Also loved the titular story, about a son taking his mother on a vacation to the southern Thai islands before her sight goes and before he has to leave her for college.

"You give them history, temples, pagodas, traditional dance, floating markets, seafood curry, tapioca desserts, silk-weaving cooperatives, but all they really want is to ride some hulking gray beast like a bunch of wildmen and to pant over girls and to lie there half-dead getting skin cancer on the beach during the time in between."
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