The Force of Karma

by Pira Sudham

In churning childhood memories into captivating recollection of the lives of the Surins in impoverished Isan, in "Monsoon Country" (1954-1981), Pira Sudham did not stray far from the realities. Being much concerned with rampant corruption he could no longer hide under the cloak of a public relations consultant in Bangkok when the saga has to cover the tumultuous years of 1981 to 2001 in "The Force of Karma". Hence he decided to take Goliath and Company into the cauldron. Perceiving at close quarters a corruptive force and the cancerous rot, he A tree, rotten at the core, falls of its own accord. The financial crash of 1997 is merely a rash. The fall is yet to come.In the process, the life of an Isan pauper, Prem 'Primo' Surin fatefully entwines with those of the bibulous billionaire, Dani 'Danny' Pilakol, the winsome University of London graduate, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Durham, the grandee of the old school art dealer, Charles Tregonning, the versatile hotelier, Karl Michael 'Micky' Wittenburg, the ambitious, Major General Ayumongkol 'Ayo' Mongkolkulthorn and the famous opera singer-composer-conductor, Wilhelm 'Willie' Hagenbach in Thailand, England and Germany. Their fellowship, the Operation Norma, the inheritance and the force of destiny have all been intricately woven. 'Monsoon Country' and its sequel, The Force of Karma have become a most riveting and provocative saga out of the insurgency and suppression in the 1970's, the 1997 economic fiasco and the killing fields (the massacres in October 1973, October 1976 and May 1992) in Thailand.

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Bill Stout · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sequel to Sudham's "Monsoon Country" develops a more compelling plot. However, the use of language is often gauche, with many malapropisms and ill-chosen adjectives and adverbs. Direct speech is stilted and clunky. Characterisation is inconsistent. Sudham's anger at the corruption of the elite and placidity of the underclass in contemporary Thailand is emphasised repeatedly and eventually becomes irritating - although initially the important messages resonate. The description of the lifestyle of the English and the jet-setting rich is over-egged and unconvincing. In spite of all that I was seduced by the plot into persevering to read to the end. I share Sudham's anger at the corruption which has held back Thailand's development and also at the exploitation of the poor of Isan, especially the children. I also hope that Thailand has moved on from the rote learning which Sudham rightly deprecates. The messages are powerful, even though, in my opinion, the medium is flawed.

[Christine Hall]

Included in Shadowed Country.