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saareman 's review for:
Bangkok Wakes to Rain
by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Two Centuries of Krung Thep
Review of the Riverhead Books hardcover edition (2019)
Photograph of the Brahmin giant swing ritual in Bangkok, Thailand which was eventually banned in the early 20th century for safety reasons. Image sourced from Once Upon a Time in Bangkok.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a tour-de-force balancing act of interconnected stories spanning two centuries. My instinctive thought for an image to illustrate this review was to search for an historic photograph of the traditional (but now banned) Brahmin swing ritual that was described in its pages. The balancing act on a wooden swing seemed like a perfect simile for the balancing of themes and connections in the novel.
Sudbanthad's first novel takes us on a journey from historic fiction in the mid-19th century to science & climate fiction in mid 21st century Thailand. The timeline starts with a American Christian missionary doctor posted to 1850s Krung Thep (the Thai name for Bangkok) and takes us through the political turmoil of the 20th century through to a 2050s water submerged city where people can have a virtual afterbody life and still interact with full-bodied beings who have not yet chosen to make the transition.
The chapters are mostly centred around a multi-story condominium complex built around the facade of a rich family's former dwelling (the family are the partners of the missionary doctor who chose later to go into trade). The connections are not all family and in a few cases they are not even human (e.g. there are chapters devoted to dogs, birds, etc.) They can be as tenuous as one character being the swimming teacher of another. There are themes of separation and longing and memory throughout as various characters leave or return or are estranged from their family and homeland. The novel will also reward rereads, as connections that were not apparent at first will be more obvious the 2nd time around.
It is hard to imagine what Sudbanthad will write next, as this feels like a magnum opus already written and done.
Other Reviews
As Catastrophic Waters Rise in Thailand, a Writer Examines the Past and Imagines the Future by Ron Charles at The Washington Post, February 14, 2019.
Stories Converge in a Flooded Bangkok by Michael Schaub at NPR.org February 20, 2019.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad review - a city of memories by Tash Aw in The Guardian, March 9, 2019.
Two Thai Novelists Explore Bangkok’s Swirl of Remembering and Forgetting by Hannah Beech in The New York Times, April , 2019.
Review: Pitchaya Sudbanthad's Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Chanikarn Kovavisarach at Thai Enquirer, February 19, 2021.
Review of the Riverhead Books hardcover edition (2019)
Photograph of the Brahmin giant swing ritual in Bangkok, Thailand which was eventually banned in the early 20th century for safety reasons. Image sourced from Once Upon a Time in Bangkok.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a tour-de-force balancing act of interconnected stories spanning two centuries. My instinctive thought for an image to illustrate this review was to search for an historic photograph of the traditional (but now banned) Brahmin swing ritual that was described in its pages. The balancing act on a wooden swing seemed like a perfect simile for the balancing of themes and connections in the novel.
Sudbanthad's first novel takes us on a journey from historic fiction in the mid-19th century to science & climate fiction in mid 21st century Thailand. The timeline starts with a American Christian missionary doctor posted to 1850s Krung Thep (the Thai name for Bangkok) and takes us through the political turmoil of the 20th century through to a 2050s water submerged city where people can have a virtual afterbody life and still interact with full-bodied beings who have not yet chosen to make the transition.
The chapters are mostly centred around a multi-story condominium complex built around the facade of a rich family's former dwelling (the family are the partners of the missionary doctor who chose later to go into trade). The connections are not all family and in a few cases they are not even human (e.g. there are chapters devoted to dogs, birds, etc.) They can be as tenuous as one character being the swimming teacher of another. There are themes of separation and longing and memory throughout as various characters leave or return or are estranged from their family and homeland. The novel will also reward rereads, as connections that were not apparent at first will be more obvious the 2nd time around.
It is hard to imagine what Sudbanthad will write next, as this feels like a magnum opus already written and done.
Other Reviews
As Catastrophic Waters Rise in Thailand, a Writer Examines the Past and Imagines the Future by Ron Charles at The Washington Post, February 14, 2019.
Stories Converge in a Flooded Bangkok by Michael Schaub at NPR.org February 20, 2019.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad review - a city of memories by Tash Aw in The Guardian, March 9, 2019.
Two Thai Novelists Explore Bangkok’s Swirl of Remembering and Forgetting by Hannah Beech in The New York Times, April , 2019.
Review: Pitchaya Sudbanthad's Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Chanikarn Kovavisarach at Thai Enquirer, February 19, 2021.