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A review by stephjoy15
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
4.0
*3.5 stars rounded up*
At first this book was a little difficult to get into. With its multiple storylines, it was difficult getting a sense for what was happening. While most all the storylines do intersect at some point, I was definitely more invested in some and could have done without others.
That being said, this book made me feel the pulse of Bangkok. There were moments where I found myself there in the streets taking in the sights and sounds and smells. Sudbanthad has a beautiful writing style and there were several sentences that I had to stop and reread and fully appreciate how beautifully written they were. This book also taught me about some major events and tragedies that have happened in Thailand.
This book made me ponder a lot of questions, such as: what effect does beauty have on our success? What is the cost of letting go of certain things or certain people? What is the role of remembrance and memory in a world that is continually looking to the future? And what happens when that future becomes scarier and it is easier to escape into the past? Do places continue to hold memories long after people have gone?
There was a sense of urgency throughout the second half of the book as the city begins to sink. Nowadays, climate change is a huge issue that everyone is talking about and yet, there seems to be little actually being done to combat it. This book definitely portrayed that urgency mixed with hopelessness as people continue moving up and the water continues to wash away places and memories.
I wish that more attention was paid to dismissing and moving on from characters. They all seemed to just fade away and I wish I could have said goodbye to them. However, I think this was in line with the theme of memories being swept away. Overall, I enjoyed this read although the end had me a little confused as I was not expecting the jump to the future and all the sci-fi speculation. However, once I understood what was happening there I was able to enjoy it more.
This book left me with many thoughts and feelings and made me wonder what memories certain places and things continue to hold onto.
At first this book was a little difficult to get into. With its multiple storylines, it was difficult getting a sense for what was happening. While most all the storylines do intersect at some point, I was definitely more invested in some and could have done without others.
That being said, this book made me feel the pulse of Bangkok. There were moments where I found myself there in the streets taking in the sights and sounds and smells. Sudbanthad has a beautiful writing style and there were several sentences that I had to stop and reread and fully appreciate how beautifully written they were. This book also taught me about some major events and tragedies that have happened in Thailand.
This book made me ponder a lot of questions, such as: what effect does beauty have on our success? What is the cost of letting go of certain things or certain people? What is the role of remembrance and memory in a world that is continually looking to the future? And what happens when that future becomes scarier and it is easier to escape into the past? Do places continue to hold memories long after people have gone?
There was a sense of urgency throughout the second half of the book as the city begins to sink. Nowadays, climate change is a huge issue that everyone is talking about and yet, there seems to be little actually being done to combat it. This book definitely portrayed that urgency mixed with hopelessness as people continue moving up and the water continues to wash away places and memories.
I wish that more attention was paid to dismissing and moving on from characters. They all seemed to just fade away and I wish I could have said goodbye to them. However, I think this was in line with the theme of memories being swept away. Overall, I enjoyed this read although the end had me a little confused as I was not expecting the jump to the future and all the sci-fi speculation. However, once I understood what was happening there I was able to enjoy it more.
This book left me with many thoughts and feelings and made me wonder what memories certain places and things continue to hold onto.