Books Set in Asia: Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok Wakes to Rain, by Pitchaya Sudbanthad (2019)

 

Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a series of interconnected vignettes that take place mostly in Bangkok, Thailand.  The stories go back and forth in time from the late 1800s to the present day.  One story line follows Phineas Stevens, an American missionary doctor who initially feels lost in a culture he does not understand.  Then there is Sammy, son of a Thai mother and British father.  When his parents divorce, he goes to live with his father and new wife in England.  His mother retains the family estate in Bangkok.  When the house becomes too much for her to manage, she contemplates converting it into condos.

 

On one of his visits to see his mother in Bangkok, Sammy begins a relationship with Nee.  As a university student in the 1970s, she participated in the government protests.  She was traumatized by the military’s shooting of the student demonstrators.  Her sister, Nok, had left Thailand and became a restauranteur.  She served authentic Thai food.  One of her patrons was a Thai military officer who was actively behind some of the protests of the 1970s.  This puts her at odds with her sister.

 

There are many other quirky characters, each with his or her own views and experiences of living in Thailand’s bustling city of Bangkok.  The stories slowly weave together a picture of Thailand and Bangkok throughout the last century.

 

Read:  September 20, 2022

 

3.5 Stars

 

 

 

Books Set in Europe; Tuscany, Italy

The Light in the Ruins, by Chris Bohjalian (2013)

 

The action of the novel The Light in Ruins, takes place in the last years of World War II in Tuscany, Italy and again 10 years later.  The novel opens with the murder of Francesca Rosati in the 1950s.  She had formerly been the aristocratic wife of a wealthy family in Tuscany.  She was found with her throat cut and her heard removed.  Soon thereafter, another member of the family is murdered in a similar MO.

 

Detective Serafina Bettini was assigned to investigate Francesca’s murder.  When another member of the Rosati family is murdered in a similar manner to Francesca, Sarafina believes there is a link which is related to the family’s activity during the War.  The Rosati family had been coerced to host Nazi and Fascist forces during the final days of the War.

 

On the Rosati estate were underground ancient Etruscan ruins and tombs.  Filled with ancient artifact, the Nazi’s professed an interest in the relics, but had an ulterior motive of sending the valuables back to Nazi leaders.

 

Serafina, who had been a partisan during the War, suffered severe burns, the scars of which caused her to be self-conscious.  Her investigation brings her to the Rosati estate, which triggers vague memories of her participation during the War.

 

During the final days of the War, the Rosatis family was forced to host the Nazis and the Fascists.  Ancient Etruscan ruins and underground tombs were located on the grounds of their estate.  The Nazi’s profess an interest in the tombs but have an ulterior motive of sending valuable relics back to their leaders.

 

Meanwhile, Cristina Rosati, the 18-year-old daughter, fell in love with a Nazi soldier.  This did not endear her to her family or to the local villagers.

 

Serafina’s investigation of the murders forces her to face her own ghosts from the war.  I didn’t find the ending completely satisfying, but the novel held my interest.

 

Read:  September 14, 2022

 

3.5 Stars