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Bangkok Wakes to Rain
A house in Bangkok is the confluence of lives shaped by upheaval, memory, and the lure of home.
A missionary doctor pines for his native New England even as he succumbs to the vibrant chaos of nineteenth-century Siam. A post-WWII society woman marries, mothers, and holds court, little suspecting her solitary future. A jazz pianist in the age of rock, haunted by his own ghosts, is summoned to appease the resident spirits. A young woman tries to outpace the long shadow of her political past. And in New Krungthep, savvy teenagers row tourists past landmarks of the drowned old city they themselves do not remember. Time collapses as these stories collide and converge, linked by the forces voraciously making and remaking the amphibious, ever-morphing capital itself.
A missionary doctor pines for his native New England even as he succumbs to the vibrant chaos of nineteenth-century Siam. A post-WWII society woman marries, mothers, and holds court, little suspecting her solitary future. A jazz pianist in the age of rock, haunted by his own ghosts, is summoned to appease the resident spirits. A young woman tries to outpace the long shadow of her political past. And in New Krungthep, savvy teenagers row tourists past landmarks of the drowned old city they themselves do not remember. Time collapses as these stories collide and converge, linked by the forces voraciously making and remaking the amphibious, ever-morphing capital itself.
368 pages, ebook
First published February 19, 2019
669 people are currently reading
11067 people want to read
About the author
Pitchaya Sudbanthad
2 books207 followers“Ambitious and sweeping, yet at once intimately crafted and shot through with fine detail, Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a sumptuous accomplishment.”
—Esquire
“An important, ambitious, and accomplished novel. Sudbanthad deftly sweeps us up in a tale that paints a twin portrait: of a megacity like those so many of us call home and of a world where sanctuary is increasingly hard to come by.”
—Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West
“This breathtakingly lovely novel is an accomplished debut, beautifully crafted and rich with history rendered in the most human terms.”
—Kirkus Review (starred review)
Pitchaya Sudbanthad is the author of the novel Bangkok Wakes to Rain, which was selected as a New York Times and Washington Post notable book of the year and a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. He has received fellowships in fiction writing from the New York Foundation for the Arts and MacDowell, and currently splits time between Bangkok and Brooklyn.
—Esquire
“An important, ambitious, and accomplished novel. Sudbanthad deftly sweeps us up in a tale that paints a twin portrait: of a megacity like those so many of us call home and of a world where sanctuary is increasingly hard to come by.”
—Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West
“This breathtakingly lovely novel is an accomplished debut, beautifully crafted and rich with history rendered in the most human terms.”
—Kirkus Review (starred review)
Pitchaya Sudbanthad is the author of the novel Bangkok Wakes to Rain, which was selected as a New York Times and Washington Post notable book of the year and a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. He has received fellowships in fiction writing from the New York Foundation for the Arts and MacDowell, and currently splits time between Bangkok and Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 658 reviews
January 7, 2019
It's likely that I'm a little biased.
August 22, 2019
Sudbanthad's debut novel is a lyrical love letter to a city and its inhabitants - this book is truly enchanting and full of atmosphere, introducing various characters in order to tell the story of a vivid, loud, magical, sprawling protagonist: Bangkok. The narrative strands, set in the past, present and future, are like streets on a 3D map of the city, that evoke the spirit at the heart of the place - how can a text that is neither plot nor character driven be so captivating? Among the people we meet is Nee, whose lover is killed during anti-government protests in 1973, there is a missionary who works as a doctor in old Siam, an aging American jazz musician, Nok who emigrates and opens a Thai restaurant in Japan, and there are even birds who share their perspective of the city.
Readers are certainly required to pay close attention, as the stories (which, with time, do intersect regarding people and places) are not told chronologically, but the slightly disorienting effect suits this novel well: With nature, architecture and generations of families, time and history converge in the city. Sudbanthad's even, meditative language is the counterpoint in this literary fugue - its beauty has an elevating effect, and it lets the reader breathe the humid air when walking through the streets of Bangkok.
This is a highly impressive debut, and I can't wait to read whatever Pitchaya Sudbanthad will write next.
Readers are certainly required to pay close attention, as the stories (which, with time, do intersect regarding people and places) are not told chronologically, but the slightly disorienting effect suits this novel well: With nature, architecture and generations of families, time and history converge in the city. Sudbanthad's even, meditative language is the counterpoint in this literary fugue - its beauty has an elevating effect, and it lets the reader breathe the humid air when walking through the streets of Bangkok.
This is a highly impressive debut, and I can't wait to read whatever Pitchaya Sudbanthad will write next.
February 27, 2019
"Bangkok Wakes to Rain” should come with a mop. This teeming debut novel by Pitchaya Sudbanthad re-creates the experience of living in Thailand’s aqueous climate so viscerally that you can feel the water rising around your ankles.
But Sudbanthad’s skills are more than just meteorological. A native of Thailand now living in New York, he captures the nation’s lush history in all its turbulence and resilience. Even the novel’s complex structure reflects Bangkok’s culture. The chapters flow back and forth in time, in ways that may leave readers initially grasping for solid ground.
The earliest sections involve an American doctor working for a Christian mission in 19th-century Siam. He’s a reluctant volunteer, shocked by the primitive conditions and skeptical that these pagans will ever be brought to the light of science or God. His first reaction is to. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
But Sudbanthad’s skills are more than just meteorological. A native of Thailand now living in New York, he captures the nation’s lush history in all its turbulence and resilience. Even the novel’s complex structure reflects Bangkok’s culture. The chapters flow back and forth in time, in ways that may leave readers initially grasping for solid ground.
The earliest sections involve an American doctor working for a Christian mission in 19th-century Siam. He’s a reluctant volunteer, shocked by the primitive conditions and skeptical that these pagans will ever be brought to the light of science or God. His first reaction is to. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
July 13, 2019
This novel is an intertwining narrative between eras (Siam to Bangkok to New Krungthep) and characters that move in and out of each other's lives in sometimes unexpected ways. Take the sensory placeness of Murakami, the vibrant city of Thayil, and the connected but widely varied stories of David Mitchell and you'll get some of the feeling of the novel. I'll talk more about it on an upcoming podcast episode.
March 19, 2019
3.5, rounded down.
For some reason, I just could never get any momentum up while reading this book; partially that was due to the disjointed nature of the narrative (it's more or less a series of VERY loosely connected short stories, rather than a true novel), and while I enjoyed what I read, it just never grabbed me enough to read more than a few pages at a time. The prose is often very good, and it certainly evokes the place extremely well, but I had a hard time keeping the various strands and characters straight (which was undoubtedly a function of my reading it so slowly). At another time, or with more dedication, I think I would have rated it higher ... and I WOULD be interested in reading whatever the author proffers next.
PS - this is certainly not the author's fault, but this is also one of the sloppiest edited/copyedited books I've seen in awhile - shocking that a major publisher like Penguin Random House isn't more on top of things. :-(
For some reason, I just could never get any momentum up while reading this book; partially that was due to the disjointed nature of the narrative (it's more or less a series of VERY loosely connected short stories, rather than a true novel), and while I enjoyed what I read, it just never grabbed me enough to read more than a few pages at a time. The prose is often very good, and it certainly evokes the place extremely well, but I had a hard time keeping the various strands and characters straight (which was undoubtedly a function of my reading it so slowly). At another time, or with more dedication, I think I would have rated it higher ... and I WOULD be interested in reading whatever the author proffers next.
PS - this is certainly not the author's fault, but this is also one of the sloppiest edited/copyedited books I've seen in awhile - shocking that a major publisher like Penguin Random House isn't more on top of things. :-(
April 12, 2024
I wanted to read a book set in Thailand to coincide with my mother- and brother-in-laws trip to Thailand. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a very ambitious novel. It was extremely well written, and at times, over written. There were many characters with their stories set over several time lines. I understand that the author was trying to give an encompassing view of Krung Thep (the native name for Bangkok).
I am interested in and read books about the impact of colonialism. I found this time period and aspect of the story interesting. It revolved around two westerners bringing western medicine and religion to Krung Thep. This story line didn't flow with the other time lines, but kept true to what I believe is the vision of the novel in describing the evolution of Krung Thep.
There are several families with interesting dynamics. Phen lives alone in the family mansion and she invites a jazz pianist to play for the spirits in the home before she sells it. I with the "spirit" side of the narrative was more developed. The mansion is incorporated into and later becomes the lobby of a sprawling condo complex with a pool. This setting is revisited throughout the novel.
My favorite two story lines were the one involving the Siripohng and Nee and the one with Pig and Mai. Siripohng and Nee meet at the democracy protests in 1973. I loved learning about this time in history. It was something I knew nothing about. The aftermath of protestors being shot and the continuous struggle impacts Nee and her relationship with her sister. The part about her sister and brother-in-law struggling to run their Thai restaurant in Japan resonated with me. Nee's story directly impacts this struggle. The reader then follows her on journey from that time to her time working for Pehn at the condos.
Mai and Pig have a very interesting friendship. Their roles in the friendship flip over time. Their relationship, and their relationships with their children, really added depth to the narrative. This leads the reader to Part 4. This is where the story deviates from the previous two genres (historical fiction/literary fiction) and dips into the surreal. There is a touch of magical realism (which I loom for and love in my reading) and a foray into sci-fi. I am hooked on climate change fiction right now, and this naturally fits into the narrative.
I understand that the author is trying to give an encompassing view of Krung Thep which leads him to what it will look like in the future. The Krung Thep we new throughout the novel is now underwater due to flooding and climate change. The reader gets a glimpse at a possible future with Mai's daughter and Pig's son doing their part to maintain the culture, people, and remnants of life from earlier times. There is so much to this ambitious novel. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I liked all of the different aspects/genres of the novel and appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a novel I will think about often.
I am interested in and read books about the impact of colonialism. I found this time period and aspect of the story interesting. It revolved around two westerners bringing western medicine and religion to Krung Thep. This story line didn't flow with the other time lines, but kept true to what I believe is the vision of the novel in describing the evolution of Krung Thep.
There are several families with interesting dynamics. Phen lives alone in the family mansion and she invites a jazz pianist to play for the spirits in the home before she sells it. I with the "spirit" side of the narrative was more developed. The mansion is incorporated into and later becomes the lobby of a sprawling condo complex with a pool. This setting is revisited throughout the novel.
My favorite two story lines were the one involving the Siripohng and Nee and the one with Pig and Mai. Siripohng and Nee meet at the democracy protests in 1973. I loved learning about this time in history. It was something I knew nothing about. The aftermath of protestors being shot and the continuous struggle impacts Nee and her relationship with her sister. The part about her sister and brother-in-law struggling to run their Thai restaurant in Japan resonated with me. Nee's story directly impacts this struggle. The reader then follows her on journey from that time to her time working for Pehn at the condos.
Mai and Pig have a very interesting friendship. Their roles in the friendship flip over time. Their relationship, and their relationships with their children, really added depth to the narrative. This leads the reader to Part 4. This is where the story deviates from the previous two genres (historical fiction/literary fiction) and dips into the surreal. There is a touch of magical realism (which I loom for and love in my reading) and a foray into sci-fi. I am hooked on climate change fiction right now, and this naturally fits into the narrative.
I understand that the author is trying to give an encompassing view of Krung Thep which leads him to what it will look like in the future. The Krung Thep we new throughout the novel is now underwater due to flooding and climate change. The reader gets a glimpse at a possible future with Mai's daughter and Pig's son doing their part to maintain the culture, people, and remnants of life from earlier times. There is so much to this ambitious novel. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I liked all of the different aspects/genres of the novel and appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a novel I will think about often.
September 27, 2022
Krungthep, the city of angels and yet higher angels and even higher ones.
This is one of those books to be admired rather than loved, which is a great pity. Pitchaya Sudbanthad’s lyrical and sensuous prose brings the city of Krungthep to startling life at various points of its rather tortured history (and future). However, few of the characters made enough of an impression on me to invest in them emotionally.
I must say that Part IV added a star or two onto my review. Many reviewers highlight this as the point that the book went totally south for them. For me, it added an unexpected SF slant to the tale, colouring everything that went before. But Sudbanthad is far too savvy a writer to commit to any single explanation, so my theory is tantalising but unproven (I don’t want to give away too much, as this is the part of the book where sense of wonder is a main ingredient.)
I think the main problem, as it were, is that all Sudbanthad’s efforts at characterisation are absorbed by his towering depiction of Krungthep, which like all great cities is a place of contrast, terror and wonder. The descriptions of its markets, temples, homes and secret places are extremely vivid. Afterwards it struck me that this is a logical progression of extending the SF concept alluded to in Part IV … But the reader will have to make up his or her own mind about that.
Another interesting reaction is to see the book as a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive single-strand narrative, which I think is rather limiting. Even if such a narrative is composed of many parts, timelines and viewpoints, it does not always mean it is just a bunch of short stories under a unifying cover. A classic example is ‘Cloud Atlas’ by David Mitchell. ‘Bangkok Wakes to Rain’ does an equally dizzying deep dive into the far past and future, but Sudbanthad’s narrative is far more intertwined and strangely non-linear at the same time. I think a good word here is ‘fractal’.
So, if you love experimental or postmodern fiction, in addition to exotic places and armchair travel through colourful history, you are in for a real treat. It is a book that demands attention and investment on the part of the reader and is by no means a casual read. However, in saying that I do not want to detract from its significant charms or fail to signpost Sudbanthad’s incredible achievement in literary synaesthesia. Here there are dragons, but also angels, in a city watched over by both.
This is one of those books to be admired rather than loved, which is a great pity. Pitchaya Sudbanthad’s lyrical and sensuous prose brings the city of Krungthep to startling life at various points of its rather tortured history (and future). However, few of the characters made enough of an impression on me to invest in them emotionally.
I must say that Part IV added a star or two onto my review. Many reviewers highlight this as the point that the book went totally south for them. For me, it added an unexpected SF slant to the tale, colouring everything that went before. But Sudbanthad is far too savvy a writer to commit to any single explanation, so my theory is tantalising but unproven (I don’t want to give away too much, as this is the part of the book where sense of wonder is a main ingredient.)
I think the main problem, as it were, is that all Sudbanthad’s efforts at characterisation are absorbed by his towering depiction of Krungthep, which like all great cities is a place of contrast, terror and wonder. The descriptions of its markets, temples, homes and secret places are extremely vivid. Afterwards it struck me that this is a logical progression of extending the SF concept alluded to in Part IV … But the reader will have to make up his or her own mind about that.
Another interesting reaction is to see the book as a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive single-strand narrative, which I think is rather limiting. Even if such a narrative is composed of many parts, timelines and viewpoints, it does not always mean it is just a bunch of short stories under a unifying cover. A classic example is ‘Cloud Atlas’ by David Mitchell. ‘Bangkok Wakes to Rain’ does an equally dizzying deep dive into the far past and future, but Sudbanthad’s narrative is far more intertwined and strangely non-linear at the same time. I think a good word here is ‘fractal’.
So, if you love experimental or postmodern fiction, in addition to exotic places and armchair travel through colourful history, you are in for a real treat. It is a book that demands attention and investment on the part of the reader and is by no means a casual read. However, in saying that I do not want to detract from its significant charms or fail to signpost Sudbanthad’s incredible achievement in literary synaesthesia. Here there are dragons, but also angels, in a city watched over by both.
March 1, 2019
4.5, rounded up.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an ambitious, beautifully written and intricately plotted debut novel that had me engrossed from beginning to end. I am not always a fan of a novel of linked stories - which this is - but I was captivated by Sudbanthad's depiction of Bangkok. Sudbanthad's skill at using a non-linear narrative (often tricky) to trace the city's history and possible future was impressive. The 'stories' of various characters, lives that gradually connect and merge as the novel unfolds, are captivating and often very moving. The novel is not without its flaws and there was a section, towards the end, that didn't totally work for me, but that may be more a matter of personal taste than an actual fault. I've rounded up because, in the end, this was such an enjoyable read for me after a bit of a reading slump. The novel grabbed me and pulled me in. An excellent, accomplished debut by an author I definitely will be following.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an ambitious, beautifully written and intricately plotted debut novel that had me engrossed from beginning to end. I am not always a fan of a novel of linked stories - which this is - but I was captivated by Sudbanthad's depiction of Bangkok. Sudbanthad's skill at using a non-linear narrative (often tricky) to trace the city's history and possible future was impressive. The 'stories' of various characters, lives that gradually connect and merge as the novel unfolds, are captivating and often very moving. The novel is not without its flaws and there was a section, towards the end, that didn't totally work for me, but that may be more a matter of personal taste than an actual fault. I've rounded up because, in the end, this was such an enjoyable read for me after a bit of a reading slump. The novel grabbed me and pulled me in. An excellent, accomplished debut by an author I definitely will be following.
December 21, 2020
Extremely creative, but disjointed, book about time, memory, transformation, and alienation. This book consists of a series of interconnected stories. The reader may be surprised by the sudden shifts from one set of characters to another, and one time period to another, with no warning. I wish I had known beforehand, since I had just become invested in one storyline when it shifts to a completely different scene.
Though portions take place in Japan, the UK, and the US, the central location of the novel is Bangkok. There are recurring themes involving civil unrest, weather (especially flooding), and birds. It ranges in time from the 19th century to the future. It will appeal to those who enjoy experimental fiction. I do not normally select books based on the cover, but this cover is a piece of art – absolutely gorgeous.
I enjoyed the writing style, such as this description of the impact of rain: “The parts of the city that used to be marshes and rice fields are sinking the fastest. With clear weather, she can see the unnerving tilt of distant towers, perceptibly angled toward and away from each other like wild shoots of bamboo. People still live there. If she looked through Woon’s old binoculars, she would be able to make out bedsheets and towels drying on balcony clotheslines and, at night, the flickering white of screens. It’s all perfectly safe, a minor lifestyle adjustment, the officials declared.” I liked it enough to read another book by this author.
Though portions take place in Japan, the UK, and the US, the central location of the novel is Bangkok. There are recurring themes involving civil unrest, weather (especially flooding), and birds. It ranges in time from the 19th century to the future. It will appeal to those who enjoy experimental fiction. I do not normally select books based on the cover, but this cover is a piece of art – absolutely gorgeous.
I enjoyed the writing style, such as this description of the impact of rain: “The parts of the city that used to be marshes and rice fields are sinking the fastest. With clear weather, she can see the unnerving tilt of distant towers, perceptibly angled toward and away from each other like wild shoots of bamboo. People still live there. If she looked through Woon’s old binoculars, she would be able to make out bedsheets and towels drying on balcony clotheslines and, at night, the flickering white of screens. It’s all perfectly safe, a minor lifestyle adjustment, the officials declared.” I liked it enough to read another book by this author.
October 22, 2019
I never associated rain with sadness like some people do, at least not when we’re talking about the occasional shower. Rain can be gentle and soothing in the summer, or dramatic and powerful in the fall; not necessarily sad, not at all. As a child, growing up in a remote area by the sea, bouts of rain often made for spectacular moments, with the wind picking up and the waves going furious, and these are memories that I cherish. Decades later, now in the city, sometimes I’ll watch a downpour from my balcony and again, the view from high up can be downright gorgeous.
So when I’m told that Bangkok apparently wakes to rain, failing to have seen it in person, a priori that picture can evoke many things for me, although as you may know, Bangkok is also slowly sinking, it’s a reality, and in such a context, with rain often comes flooding. The book makes ample use of this fact, and rain – well, water in general – is essentially of the sad persuasion, here. For the most part it translates into something bittersweet and introspective. These waters are troubled. They can be ominous.
This collection of short stories features recurrent characters. We meet and keep up with them through thinly sliced, subdued scenes, dozens of them in total, shuffled like cards in a deck and spanning different periods in time. The locations also recur, with the characters’ lives ending up crisscrossing each other thanks to them. At the heart of all this, the focus is set on ordinary people’s inner turmoil, as the tales are ones of hesitation, anxiety or regret. Hope also, on occasion, or redemption, but the general tone remains measured when that’s the case. Mortality, either feared or remembered, weighs heavily all along. There’s something ghostly about it all, even when ghosts aren’t mentioned, which sometimes they are.
As it is, I liked the writing – a beautiful prose, a serious voice, obvious talent on every page and a gem of a sentence here and there – but regretted the pervasive melancholy. Bearing such a title, it’s entirely fitting and I’m aware of it, but it often felt as if a muted color filter was applied to a series of pictures, conveying a washed out feel to the successive vignettes evoking them. In that sense, Bangkok Wakes to Rain totally lives up to its liquid premise: what we have here is personal drama in watercolors, with inspired references to political history and local etiquette as an occasional aside. I don’t know that I expected that. Not all the time, anyway.
The cover, which I love, seems partly to blame: it would be fair to say that before I knew anything about this book, I was first lured into wanting to learn more by a vibrant splash of emerald green with gold lettering on the front, which of course called forth ideas of lush jungles and foreign traditions. In seizing contrast, the stories within are very urban, very day-to-day, with generous servings of concrete, rust and unglamorous humanity. This is not the Thailand of travel guides, the Thailand of orchid blooms waiting for you on hotel pillows. It’s just not.
It’s not, but I’m okay with that part of the deal: I feel privileged not having been served touristic drivel, in the end, and I might even have learned a thing or two. I feel less privileged, on the other hand, never really having gotten to know the characters at all, other than superficially, even though they reappear on plenty of different occasions. I’m not sure how that happened. The timeline is convoluted, even a little tricky; perhaps a narrative delivered in fewer broken pieces would have allowed more time for personalities to truly emerge, more of a chance for bonds to form between the characters and me. I wanted to connect and I didn’t entirely.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an intelligent read, in fact it's an impressive first publication with natural talent on display, but the finely fragmented stories drawn in pastel tones and cement grays left me wanting, somehow. While the author himself is eloquent and ambitious, I missed a stronger voice on the characters’ part, I think.
So when I’m told that Bangkok apparently wakes to rain, failing to have seen it in person, a priori that picture can evoke many things for me, although as you may know, Bangkok is also slowly sinking, it’s a reality, and in such a context, with rain often comes flooding. The book makes ample use of this fact, and rain – well, water in general – is essentially of the sad persuasion, here. For the most part it translates into something bittersweet and introspective. These waters are troubled. They can be ominous.
This collection of short stories features recurrent characters. We meet and keep up with them through thinly sliced, subdued scenes, dozens of them in total, shuffled like cards in a deck and spanning different periods in time. The locations also recur, with the characters’ lives ending up crisscrossing each other thanks to them. At the heart of all this, the focus is set on ordinary people’s inner turmoil, as the tales are ones of hesitation, anxiety or regret. Hope also, on occasion, or redemption, but the general tone remains measured when that’s the case. Mortality, either feared or remembered, weighs heavily all along. There’s something ghostly about it all, even when ghosts aren’t mentioned, which sometimes they are.
As it is, I liked the writing – a beautiful prose, a serious voice, obvious talent on every page and a gem of a sentence here and there – but regretted the pervasive melancholy. Bearing such a title, it’s entirely fitting and I’m aware of it, but it often felt as if a muted color filter was applied to a series of pictures, conveying a washed out feel to the successive vignettes evoking them. In that sense, Bangkok Wakes to Rain totally lives up to its liquid premise: what we have here is personal drama in watercolors, with inspired references to political history and local etiquette as an occasional aside. I don’t know that I expected that. Not all the time, anyway.
The cover, which I love, seems partly to blame: it would be fair to say that before I knew anything about this book, I was first lured into wanting to learn more by a vibrant splash of emerald green with gold lettering on the front, which of course called forth ideas of lush jungles and foreign traditions. In seizing contrast, the stories within are very urban, very day-to-day, with generous servings of concrete, rust and unglamorous humanity. This is not the Thailand of travel guides, the Thailand of orchid blooms waiting for you on hotel pillows. It’s just not.
It’s not, but I’m okay with that part of the deal: I feel privileged not having been served touristic drivel, in the end, and I might even have learned a thing or two. I feel less privileged, on the other hand, never really having gotten to know the characters at all, other than superficially, even though they reappear on plenty of different occasions. I’m not sure how that happened. The timeline is convoluted, even a little tricky; perhaps a narrative delivered in fewer broken pieces would have allowed more time for personalities to truly emerge, more of a chance for bonds to form between the characters and me. I wanted to connect and I didn’t entirely.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an intelligent read, in fact it's an impressive first publication with natural talent on display, but the finely fragmented stories drawn in pastel tones and cement grays left me wanting, somehow. While the author himself is eloquent and ambitious, I missed a stronger voice on the characters’ part, I think.
May 9, 2019
I don't know how to review this book. I don't even know how to shelve it.
Ok. So. It's about a house in Krung Thep, aka Bangkok to westerners. And it's told via a non-linear progression of vignettes that reach back to the late 1800's and forward to the 2050s? 60s? And there are overlapping characters.
Wait.
You know how I recently complained that I didn't really get a sense of Korea in The Plotters? The opposite happened here; I felt immersed in Bangkok. The funny thing is, I was only there - in Bangkok, not in this book - for maybe two days? I enjoyed those two days immensely and was enchanted by the city but it's not like I felt any deep sense of connection in my brief stay. And yet, this story is so moist and it's hot and there are fish smells and sour smells and rotting vegetation smells and concrete and tropical flowers blooming at temples and little shops that sell all kinds of things and it was all so vivid, so recognizable; I felt like I was back in Bangkok! And for the parts of the story that take place in England or America, it was obvious that the setting was not Thailand.
Uh...ok, if you liked The Red Garden because of how it's structured, you'll like this.
If you liked Pachinko because it showed you a bit of Asian history you're not used to reading about, you'll like this.
If you liked Homegoing because it's a sweeping story that takes place across countries, you'll like this.
Or maybe you won't, I don't know.
But I loved it. I was gathered in and carried along and I am sad it is over.
More than any other book, it reminded me of Here but instead of the corner of a room, we have a house and we're not stuck there, it's just the anchor that keeps the stories together.
I took copious notes while listening to this. I'm going to need to let it all settle in my mind, go back and read my notes, and then try this again later because this book deserves a glowing review and I am just offering rambling shambles.
Ok. So. It's about a house in Krung Thep, aka Bangkok to westerners. And it's told via a non-linear progression of vignettes that reach back to the late 1800's and forward to the 2050s? 60s? And there are overlapping characters.
Wait.
You know how I recently complained that I didn't really get a sense of Korea in The Plotters? The opposite happened here; I felt immersed in Bangkok. The funny thing is, I was only there - in Bangkok, not in this book - for maybe two days? I enjoyed those two days immensely and was enchanted by the city but it's not like I felt any deep sense of connection in my brief stay. And yet, this story is so moist and it's hot and there are fish smells and sour smells and rotting vegetation smells and concrete and tropical flowers blooming at temples and little shops that sell all kinds of things and it was all so vivid, so recognizable; I felt like I was back in Bangkok! And for the parts of the story that take place in England or America, it was obvious that the setting was not Thailand.
Uh...ok, if you liked The Red Garden because of how it's structured, you'll like this.
If you liked Pachinko because it showed you a bit of Asian history you're not used to reading about, you'll like this.
If you liked Homegoing because it's a sweeping story that takes place across countries, you'll like this.
Or maybe you won't, I don't know.
But I loved it. I was gathered in and carried along and I am sad it is over.
More than any other book, it reminded me of Here but instead of the corner of a room, we have a house and we're not stuck there, it's just the anchor that keeps the stories together.
I took copious notes while listening to this. I'm going to need to let it all settle in my mind, go back and read my notes, and then try this again later because this book deserves a glowing review and I am just offering rambling shambles.
May 4, 2020
An amazing debut from the Center for Fiction First Novel shortlist, beautifully written, intricately constructed—a fascinating novel that rewards close attention to track the many, seemingly unrelated characters. Is there such a thing as Buddhist fiction? This book feels imbued with a Thai/Buddhist sensibility and it veers off, David Mitchell-like, into some unexpected directions. I’m left marveling and a bit gobsmacked.
May 4, 2019
Three stories into Bangkok Wakes to Rain, I had a bad feeling about the “novel.” You see, there's been this trend in publishing lately where “novel” can mean many things. David Szalay's Booker nominated All That Man Is is an excellent example. It's a collection of short stories. (Publisher: No, it's a novel.) It may center on a theme, but that doesn’t make it a novel; it’s still just a collection of short stories. But short story collections do not sell as well as novels, nor do they get nominated for the Booker Prize, so I guess the publisher was (deceptively) smart.
Initially, it appears that Sudbanthad is going down the same path with Bangkok Wakes to Rain. Here are stories that have absolutely nothing to do with one another other than their connection to the setting. The first story focuses on a missionary in the 19th century. The second deals with a jazz pianist in the post-Vietnam-war era. The third of a photographer who’d emigrated to the U.S. And so on… Represented as circles with shared similarities, each story looks a little something like this.
I liked the writing, but again I felt duped and disappointed because this was not a novel.
Then a wonderful thing happens—one of the stories overlaps another. I held onto hope there’d be more. Then there is another connection. Slowly, the connections begin to build upon one another so that some stories are only lightly connected to one another, but others share so much. It could look something like this.
I was intrigued. It became a fun exercise searching for all the connections. It reminded me of a device David Mitchell might employ. This association with Mitchell was even more so made concrete by the fact that the book stretches from the colonial era into a future where cities are under water and AI plays a large role in daily living.
The writing is superb and the characters are memorable and well designed. Sudbanthad is a wonderful author who has earned a spot on my growing list of authors I will invest in in the future. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an intriguing and intelligent novel overall, but the implementation is a bit off. Using such a device is tricky, and while I think Sudbanthad pulls it off well, it is not solid enough to sustain itself. It's close and an admirable effort, but it just doesn't quite gel. Nonetheless, I look very much look forward to the author's sophomore effort. Here is an author who knows how to use language, plot, character, and setting to form a nearly perfect novel or collection—call it what you want.
Initially, it appears that Sudbanthad is going down the same path with Bangkok Wakes to Rain. Here are stories that have absolutely nothing to do with one another other than their connection to the setting. The first story focuses on a missionary in the 19th century. The second deals with a jazz pianist in the post-Vietnam-war era. The third of a photographer who’d emigrated to the U.S. And so on… Represented as circles with shared similarities, each story looks a little something like this.
I liked the writing, but again I felt duped and disappointed because this was not a novel.
Then a wonderful thing happens—one of the stories overlaps another. I held onto hope there’d be more. Then there is another connection. Slowly, the connections begin to build upon one another so that some stories are only lightly connected to one another, but others share so much. It could look something like this.
I was intrigued. It became a fun exercise searching for all the connections. It reminded me of a device David Mitchell might employ. This association with Mitchell was even more so made concrete by the fact that the book stretches from the colonial era into a future where cities are under water and AI plays a large role in daily living.
The writing is superb and the characters are memorable and well designed. Sudbanthad is a wonderful author who has earned a spot on my growing list of authors I will invest in in the future. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an intriguing and intelligent novel overall, but the implementation is a bit off. Using such a device is tricky, and while I think Sudbanthad pulls it off well, it is not solid enough to sustain itself. It's close and an admirable effort, but it just doesn't quite gel. Nonetheless, I look very much look forward to the author's sophomore effort. Here is an author who knows how to use language, plot, character, and setting to form a nearly perfect novel or collection—call it what you want.
July 21, 2020
I can’t put my finger on what was wrong with this. Despite being well written, the soul of Bangkok and of these characters eluded me entitely. At no point did I feel connected to anyone, or knew why I was reading about them. I was genuinely bored, which is an awful thing to be with a book, and disappointing when the premise sounded so promising. Alas.
January 24, 2022
[finito alle 19:40 del 31 dicembre. Direi che questo è ufficialmente l’ultimo libro del 2021. E non so cosa pensare. Mi è piaciuto tanto, finché non è iniziata l’ultima parte ambientata in una Bangkok del futuro che non mi ha detto nulla, con personaggi che non mi hanno lasciato nulla. Se all’inizio stavo sulle 4 stelle, ora direi 3.5]
L’ultimo libro letto nel 2021 mi ha dato emozioni contrastanti 🤔
⠀
Ambientato a Bangkok, Sotto la pioggia è un romanzo corale dove incontriamo diverse persone in diverse fasi della loro vita; vite che a loro volta si intrecciano le une con le altre 🪢
⠀
Il romanzo d’esordio di Pitchaya Sudbanthad aveva tutte le carte in regola per farsi amare.
E infatti proprio questo stava accadendo.
Finché il tutto non ha preso una piega completamente inaspettata 😱
⠀
Mi sono ritrovata in una Bangkok del futuro con una tecnologia super avanzata. Un mondo decisamente diverso dal nostro.
Così diverso che non ho riconosciuto più nulla e nessuno.
Quei personaggi, di cui bramavo conoscerne l’esistenza, li ho persi per strada, così come ho perso l’interesse per ogni storia, singola o collettiva che fosse 😶🌫️
⠀
Un vero peccato 😕
L’ultimo libro letto nel 2021 mi ha dato emozioni contrastanti 🤔
⠀
Ambientato a Bangkok, Sotto la pioggia è un romanzo corale dove incontriamo diverse persone in diverse fasi della loro vita; vite che a loro volta si intrecciano le une con le altre 🪢
⠀
Il romanzo d’esordio di Pitchaya Sudbanthad aveva tutte le carte in regola per farsi amare.
E infatti proprio questo stava accadendo.
Finché il tutto non ha preso una piega completamente inaspettata 😱
⠀
Mi sono ritrovata in una Bangkok del futuro con una tecnologia super avanzata. Un mondo decisamente diverso dal nostro.
Così diverso che non ho riconosciuto più nulla e nessuno.
Quei personaggi, di cui bramavo conoscerne l’esistenza, li ho persi per strada, così come ho perso l’interesse per ogni storia, singola o collettiva che fosse 😶🌫️
⠀
Un vero peccato 😕
April 10, 2019
Sudbanthad's debut novel weaves storylines across space and time, linking back to the Thai capital and its cyclical rains and floods. A 19th-century missionary doctor treating cholera, an aging musician hired to play music for ghosts, two sisters in Thailand and Japan, a glimpse into the future of Bangkok underwater with people living in 'barge cities'. Sweeping scope, beautiful writing.
It's an easy comparison to David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, but there were some other intriguing elements here that made this one unique - interludes narrated by birds, 1970s political landscape, and the floods that link back to impermanence and the fluidity of time, memory, and place.
It took me a few pages to warm up to this one, and I was glad I stuck around. Very rewarding, and I look forward to seeing what Sudbanthad does next.
It's an easy comparison to David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, but there were some other intriguing elements here that made this one unique - interludes narrated by birds, 1970s political landscape, and the floods that link back to impermanence and the fluidity of time, memory, and place.
It took me a few pages to warm up to this one, and I was glad I stuck around. Very rewarding, and I look forward to seeing what Sudbanthad does next.
February 11, 2019
First of all, this is a gorgeous title and pretty much the reason why I picked it up.
And while I admired the evocative and assured language, I kept getting lost between the narrative snapshots. According to the blurb, a house in Bankok is what connects all of the episodes, but this is a rather tenuous link. I found it easier, in most cases, to follow the links between the characters, because the stories aren't always set in Bangkok.
Sudbhanthat aims to cover a lot of ground and time, touching on colonial and revolutionary theory, as well as stretching into sci-fi terrtitory and artifical life/intelligence.
This is certainly ambitious, but also weakened the overall impression, at least for me. The characters appear mostly sketched and are not granted the narrative time to fully invest in them, while the sheer number of topics raised sort of diluted the whole impact. However, this might really appeal to admirers of David Mitchell, e.g.
For me, the novel lacked a clear strucutre to follow the main idea and not get lost side- and backstepping.
And while I admired the evocative and assured language, I kept getting lost between the narrative snapshots. According to the blurb, a house in Bankok is what connects all of the episodes, but this is a rather tenuous link. I found it easier, in most cases, to follow the links between the characters, because the stories aren't always set in Bangkok.
Sudbhanthat aims to cover a lot of ground and time, touching on colonial and revolutionary theory, as well as stretching into sci-fi terrtitory and artifical life/intelligence.
This is certainly ambitious, but also weakened the overall impression, at least for me. The characters appear mostly sketched and are not granted the narrative time to fully invest in them, while the sheer number of topics raised sort of diluted the whole impact. However, this might really appeal to admirers of David Mitchell, e.g.
For me, the novel lacked a clear strucutre to follow the main idea and not get lost side- and backstepping.
dnf
August 24, 2019DNF @ 20%
One of my most anticipated books on my tbr... but loosely connected stories with characters I find hard to connect to are not what I want to be reading right now. :(
One of my most anticipated books on my tbr... but loosely connected stories with characters I find hard to connect to are not what I want to be reading right now. :(
December 16, 2025
A strong, impressive debut. Ironically enough, I read it during the heaviest rains and worst flooding my area of Western Washington has seen. This made for some uncanny, unsettling moments as Krung Thep (Bangkok) itself becomes increasingly inundated throughout the novel.
While not all of the various narrative threads grabbed me, they did each contribute to the rich, colorful tapestry that is the full story. This is a symphonic experience, and Sudbanthad proves to be a talented conductor.
4.5 stars
While not all of the various narrative threads grabbed me, they did each contribute to the rich, colorful tapestry that is the full story. This is a symphonic experience, and Sudbanthad proves to be a talented conductor.
4.5 stars
July 6, 2021
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.
May 27, 2021
Digital audiobook read by Euan Morton
3***
From the book jacket: A house in Bangkok is the confluence of lives shaped by upheaval, memory, and the lure of home. A missionary doctor pines for his native New England even as he succumbs to the vibrant chaos of nineteenth-century Siam. A post-World War II society woman marries, mothers, and holds court, little suspecting her solitary future. A jazz pianist in the age of rock, haunted by his own ghosts, is summoned to appease the house’s resident spirits. In the present, a young woman tries to outpace the long shadow of her political past. And in New Krungthep, savvy teenagers row tourists past landmarks of the drowned old city they themselves do not remember.
My reactions:
In general, I had a difficult time getting invested in this collection. I think it was not the book’s fault, though, but the press of other things occupying my thoughts. About a quarter of the way through, I put it aside, and didn’t return to it for a couple of weeks. It took me a couple of stories to get back into the rhythm of the work, but once I did, I enjoyed it.
Sudbanthad’s prose conveys a certain vibrancy, and he gives us characters that demand attention. Several of these characters make repeat appearances in the collection. Throughout, the neighborhoods and culture of Bangkok tie the work together. I’ve been to Bangkok several times; it is all the things I hate – crowded, noisy, polluted, hot and humid. And yet, I feel so alive when I am there, that I absolutely love it. Sudbanthad helped me feel some of that with his descriptions.
On the other hand, the timeline is not strictly linear. The settings range from historical to the present to a future that does not appeal to THIS reader and is a little more science-fiction than I was expecting.
I chose to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Euan Morton. He does a fine job, with clear diction and setting a good pace. However, I think this is a work best enjoyed in text format.
3***
From the book jacket: A house in Bangkok is the confluence of lives shaped by upheaval, memory, and the lure of home. A missionary doctor pines for his native New England even as he succumbs to the vibrant chaos of nineteenth-century Siam. A post-World War II society woman marries, mothers, and holds court, little suspecting her solitary future. A jazz pianist in the age of rock, haunted by his own ghosts, is summoned to appease the house’s resident spirits. In the present, a young woman tries to outpace the long shadow of her political past. And in New Krungthep, savvy teenagers row tourists past landmarks of the drowned old city they themselves do not remember.
My reactions:
In general, I had a difficult time getting invested in this collection. I think it was not the book’s fault, though, but the press of other things occupying my thoughts. About a quarter of the way through, I put it aside, and didn’t return to it for a couple of weeks. It took me a couple of stories to get back into the rhythm of the work, but once I did, I enjoyed it.
Sudbanthad’s prose conveys a certain vibrancy, and he gives us characters that demand attention. Several of these characters make repeat appearances in the collection. Throughout, the neighborhoods and culture of Bangkok tie the work together. I’ve been to Bangkok several times; it is all the things I hate – crowded, noisy, polluted, hot and humid. And yet, I feel so alive when I am there, that I absolutely love it. Sudbanthad helped me feel some of that with his descriptions.
On the other hand, the timeline is not strictly linear. The settings range from historical to the present to a future that does not appeal to THIS reader and is a little more science-fiction than I was expecting.
I chose to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Euan Morton. He does a fine job, with clear diction and setting a good pace. However, I think this is a work best enjoyed in text format.
May 8, 2019
A wonderful read! Finally someone has written a book that captures the city of Bangkok! I can't wait until your next book Khun Pitchaya! One of my favorite lines in the whole book is "Places remember us". I so believe that!
August 14, 2021
Rating: 2/5 stars
Will I be surprised if someone decides to DNF this? Not really.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is one of those books that doesn't really revolve around one central storyline, but it's about a few people's lives and experiences (and their stories get intertwined one way or another).
Although this book was UNDOUBTEDLY so well-written, this was a major snooze fest for me personally. Here's my thought about books having multiple characters with different stories: The characters MUST be memorable. Unfortunately, this wasn't. In fact, I don't see the point of reading about their seemingly ordinary lives. As much as I'd like to believe that "the ordinary is the divine", reading about these characters' ordinariness begged to differ.
It's dreadfully boring that halfway into the book, I was just reading it just for the sake of finishing it.
I'm sure by the time I get to talk about this book with the rest of the book club members, I'd forget majority of the book's content. Except the character that was named after a swine.
2 stars (instead of 1) because the author's lyrical writing was still great.
My god glad that was over.
Will I be surprised if someone decides to DNF this? Not really.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain is one of those books that doesn't really revolve around one central storyline, but it's about a few people's lives and experiences (and their stories get intertwined one way or another).
Although this book was UNDOUBTEDLY so well-written, this was a major snooze fest for me personally. Here's my thought about books having multiple characters with different stories: The characters MUST be memorable. Unfortunately, this wasn't. In fact, I don't see the point of reading about their seemingly ordinary lives. As much as I'd like to believe that "the ordinary is the divine", reading about these characters' ordinariness begged to differ.
It's dreadfully boring that halfway into the book, I was just reading it just for the sake of finishing it.
I'm sure by the time I get to talk about this book with the rest of the book club members, I'd forget majority of the book's content. Except the character that was named after a swine.
2 stars (instead of 1) because the author's lyrical writing was still great.
My god glad that was over.
October 1, 2019
"How they all yearned to see acts that defied common expectation, that could push a man across the membrane that separated ordinary life from the imagination of better. The whole of human history depended on this desire."
Reading this book, I was strongly reminded of David Mitchell’s "Cloud Atlas" (a book I like a lot and have read several times). I found the writing style similar to the book and the structure really reminded me of the film version of Mitchell's book (for those who haven’t seen it, the film takes a very different approach to the overall structure).
This is a multi-generational, polyphonic, non-linear tale. What’s not to like? Characters appear then disappear only to reappear hundreds of pages and often several decades later. Gradually links emerge (it helps to take notes as you read and the Kindle version is also useful to check when you last saw a name you recognise).
It all centres on Bangkok. A 19th century missionary battles through a cholera epidemic and struggles with his calling. A jazz pianist is called to the house of a woman in the 1970s to play for the spirits she believes are inhabiting a pillar within her house. This woman’s son travels the world searching for peace or stability or love, until he returns home. A woman in Bangkok has a tumultuous relationship with her sister and lives with the after effects of Bangkok’s violent past. There are more plot threads than this and all of them gradually link together.
As all our different protagonists reveal their stories, Bangkok the city also tells us a story. "The city radiated from the river outward, and so did her madness." A house sits at the centre of our story: several protagonists live there or live in the condominium built in its grounds later on. Characters leave and return swirling around the city and this house, their lives often intersecting or connecting in some way or other.
I imagine different readers will respond differently to each of the stories told and will find different stories exert the strongest pull on their emotions. For me, it was Nee and a story that centres on Bangkok’s violent past. This story is grounded in real events as Nee falls in love in the lead up to the 1973 uprising and then is directly impacted by the 1976 student massacre. Almost 20 years after that first uprising, Nee is again affected by "Black May" in 1992. I don’t know if it is the fact that her story is based on real life events that made it more real for me.
Some of the story is definitely not "fact" or real. Some of it is set in the near future when Bangkok has flooded and people have adapted to a life on the water where the taller building still can be seen but most of the city is submerged. There is a strong sci-fi/cli-fi element, especially to later parts of the book.
I know not everyone likes polyphonic, non-linear novels. I have seen reviews that say this is a collection of connected short stories. For me, it felt more of a novel than that suggests. It is not easy to write down a plot, but then I rarely go into a novel hoping for a good plot. If you are willing to put a bit of effort into capturing the connections, there is a lot of pleasure to be had in gradually piecing together the stories of these individuals who all somehow connect across a city that is brought to life as you read. And in the midst of a grand story of a city and interconnecting lives, there are some lovely moments of intimacy between individuals.
"I wish I had a better explanation, but I think that maybe yes, they do, even when we don't. Places remember us."
Reading this book, I was strongly reminded of David Mitchell’s "Cloud Atlas" (a book I like a lot and have read several times). I found the writing style similar to the book and the structure really reminded me of the film version of Mitchell's book (for those who haven’t seen it, the film takes a very different approach to the overall structure).
This is a multi-generational, polyphonic, non-linear tale. What’s not to like? Characters appear then disappear only to reappear hundreds of pages and often several decades later. Gradually links emerge (it helps to take notes as you read and the Kindle version is also useful to check when you last saw a name you recognise).
It all centres on Bangkok. A 19th century missionary battles through a cholera epidemic and struggles with his calling. A jazz pianist is called to the house of a woman in the 1970s to play for the spirits she believes are inhabiting a pillar within her house. This woman’s son travels the world searching for peace or stability or love, until he returns home. A woman in Bangkok has a tumultuous relationship with her sister and lives with the after effects of Bangkok’s violent past. There are more plot threads than this and all of them gradually link together.
As all our different protagonists reveal their stories, Bangkok the city also tells us a story. "The city radiated from the river outward, and so did her madness." A house sits at the centre of our story: several protagonists live there or live in the condominium built in its grounds later on. Characters leave and return swirling around the city and this house, their lives often intersecting or connecting in some way or other.
I imagine different readers will respond differently to each of the stories told and will find different stories exert the strongest pull on their emotions. For me, it was Nee and a story that centres on Bangkok’s violent past. This story is grounded in real events as Nee falls in love in the lead up to the 1973 uprising and then is directly impacted by the 1976 student massacre. Almost 20 years after that first uprising, Nee is again affected by "Black May" in 1992. I don’t know if it is the fact that her story is based on real life events that made it more real for me.
Some of the story is definitely not "fact" or real. Some of it is set in the near future when Bangkok has flooded and people have adapted to a life on the water where the taller building still can be seen but most of the city is submerged. There is a strong sci-fi/cli-fi element, especially to later parts of the book.
I know not everyone likes polyphonic, non-linear novels. I have seen reviews that say this is a collection of connected short stories. For me, it felt more of a novel than that suggests. It is not easy to write down a plot, but then I rarely go into a novel hoping for a good plot. If you are willing to put a bit of effort into capturing the connections, there is a lot of pleasure to be had in gradually piecing together the stories of these individuals who all somehow connect across a city that is brought to life as you read. And in the midst of a grand story of a city and interconnecting lives, there are some lovely moments of intimacy between individuals.
"I wish I had a better explanation, but I think that maybe yes, they do, even when we don't. Places remember us."
April 7, 2019
4.5* rounded up.
"The city radiated from the river outward, and so did her madness"
Beautifully written and evocative from the title to the last sentence. This novel drifts and revisits the past, present and imagined future of Bangkok with seemingly unrelated characters and stories gradually weaving together. While some of the futuristic scenes were not as strong as the rest of the book, other’s particularly regarding the political history and student massacre of 1976 had me researching to find out more. For a city I have visited multiple times, I am ashamed to say I had no idea about this part of its history.
But hey, who hasn’t been caught out in a deluge in Bangkok?! It’s not unbelievable that in the current era of climate change that this sinking city will become permanently underwater.
"The city radiated from the river outward, and so did her madness"
Beautifully written and evocative from the title to the last sentence. This novel drifts and revisits the past, present and imagined future of Bangkok with seemingly unrelated characters and stories gradually weaving together. While some of the futuristic scenes were not as strong as the rest of the book, other’s particularly regarding the political history and student massacre of 1976 had me researching to find out more. For a city I have visited multiple times, I am ashamed to say I had no idea about this part of its history.
But hey, who hasn’t been caught out in a deluge in Bangkok?! It’s not unbelievable that in the current era of climate change that this sinking city will become permanently underwater.
June 11, 2022
Around the World Reading Challenge: THAILAND
===
This was a really fascinating read, set primarily in Bangkok and weaving together different narratives from the past, present, and future. There's a fairly wide cast of characters, some more prominent than others, than span across many decades. The chapters are non-linear, and it's not clear until you're reading who and when is the focus. This is actually usually the kind of thing that drives me batty, but I thought it worked really well here--the confusion was present, but minimal, and I think part of the charm of this novel that tries to paint a picture of a vibrant, bustling, ever-morphing city. I thought it was quite an impressive debut, and I'm quite pleased to have picked this one up!
===
This was a really fascinating read, set primarily in Bangkok and weaving together different narratives from the past, present, and future. There's a fairly wide cast of characters, some more prominent than others, than span across many decades. The chapters are non-linear, and it's not clear until you're reading who and when is the focus. This is actually usually the kind of thing that drives me batty, but I thought it worked really well here--the confusion was present, but minimal, and I think part of the charm of this novel that tries to paint a picture of a vibrant, bustling, ever-morphing city. I thought it was quite an impressive debut, and I'm quite pleased to have picked this one up!
Read
November 8, 2021I saw this dude give a live reading a while ago, and it was at a former Thai palace, accompanied by the sort of bullshit food that tourists love, all over-sweet sauces and gaudy carved fruit and waitresses in sarongs, the sort of thing that I avoid at all costs. And my fear when I read Bangkok Wakes to Rain was that it would be the literary mirror of that experience.
It wasn't, but there were times when it came dangerously close. Because this isn't Thai literature for a Thai context, this is Thai literature for an international (and let's face it, middle aged American white lady) context. I found myself cringing at some of the translations of Thai concepts to Anglo audiences (when you say "telenovela" when you mean "lakhon," I get it, the two forms have a shit-ton in common, but when I hear "telenovela" I think of Latin flavor, and the term "soap opera" would seem to fit the bill better -- I don't know why this particular interpretation irked me so, but it did).
But it's a damn sight better than anything done by a lot of self-consciously "ethnic" writers working within the metropole. Maybe it's because parts of it -- especially the dystopian bits -- are legitimately heartfelt and gorgeous. Maybe it's because the silences around the unrest of 1973, 1976, and 1992 are glaring and clearly intentional to a reader with a decent-enough understanding of Thai political history. But it was a cut above. I'd hardly call this "great literature," but I can say that it's something I would recommend to my friends living outside this benighted kingdom.
It wasn't, but there were times when it came dangerously close. Because this isn't Thai literature for a Thai context, this is Thai literature for an international (and let's face it, middle aged American white lady) context. I found myself cringing at some of the translations of Thai concepts to Anglo audiences (when you say "telenovela" when you mean "lakhon," I get it, the two forms have a shit-ton in common, but when I hear "telenovela" I think of Latin flavor, and the term "soap opera" would seem to fit the bill better -- I don't know why this particular interpretation irked me so, but it did).
But it's a damn sight better than anything done by a lot of self-consciously "ethnic" writers working within the metropole. Maybe it's because parts of it -- especially the dystopian bits -- are legitimately heartfelt and gorgeous. Maybe it's because the silences around the unrest of 1973, 1976, and 1992 are glaring and clearly intentional to a reader with a decent-enough understanding of Thai political history. But it was a cut above. I'd hardly call this "great literature," but I can say that it's something I would recommend to my friends living outside this benighted kingdom.
March 20, 2019
Hasn’t the “people who are somehow connected through a place, person, whatever” method of book-writing been declared stale yet? What does non-linear timeline have to add to such poor story telling?
Instead of a loose connection, short and seperate stories would have worked better for me. As it is, i thought it was forced, contrived, and unnatural.
And what was that futuristic section at the end about?! I am sure there is better sci-fi out there to settle for this section.
There were some good ideas but this book is a mess. ☹️
Instead of a loose connection, short and seperate stories would have worked better for me. As it is, i thought it was forced, contrived, and unnatural.
And what was that futuristic section at the end about?! I am sure there is better sci-fi out there to settle for this section.
There were some good ideas but this book is a mess. ☹️
February 21, 2019
A novel of BANGKOK across the centuries
Bangkok Wakes To Rain is an extraordinary debut novel – ambitious and wide ranging in both its content and its style.
People and families are interwoven across centuries – from the end of the 19th to an imagined future a few decades hence. The book ranges from an historical novel through to more of a Sci-Fi fantasy. Many stories exist and overlap, but there are two constants. The first is an ever evolving building. Built in colonial times, it is inhabited at the end of the 19th century by a US missionary outpost. Cholera is rife, and many thousands in the city perish. Move on some decades and a divorced wife of a diplomat now living in London occupies the property. She summons a jazz musician to play to ghosts. Then the property is sold and converted into a 27 storey condominium block (and a young worker dies in its construction). But the original features of the colonial house are maintained. Over the years the block falls into neglect and decay. Then, finally, it is covered by water as Bangkok floods – the floods do not clear and downtown Bangkok becomes entirely submerged.
The second constant is the family of two sisters – Nee and Mai. We first meet Nee as a student living with her mother. She and her boyfriend are involved in the student riots of the ’70s, and her boyfriend is killed when the military open fire. Mai has moved to Japan and opened a restaurant. We follow them through their lives… Nee, for a while, works in the condo building and gives swimming lessons in the building’s pool. Mai returns to Thailand. We see them in middle and old age as their children grow up in the futuristic city that is now Bangkok. No need for anyone to die – the brain can be plugged in and can communicate with those living life as we would understand it.
A really hard book to classify and compartmentalise. It is beautifully written and far reaching. I thought the ‘Sci-Fi’ part might jar – but it did not. It flowed on effortlessly.
Highly recommended.
Bangkok Wakes To Rain is an extraordinary debut novel – ambitious and wide ranging in both its content and its style.
People and families are interwoven across centuries – from the end of the 19th to an imagined future a few decades hence. The book ranges from an historical novel through to more of a Sci-Fi fantasy. Many stories exist and overlap, but there are two constants. The first is an ever evolving building. Built in colonial times, it is inhabited at the end of the 19th century by a US missionary outpost. Cholera is rife, and many thousands in the city perish. Move on some decades and a divorced wife of a diplomat now living in London occupies the property. She summons a jazz musician to play to ghosts. Then the property is sold and converted into a 27 storey condominium block (and a young worker dies in its construction). But the original features of the colonial house are maintained. Over the years the block falls into neglect and decay. Then, finally, it is covered by water as Bangkok floods – the floods do not clear and downtown Bangkok becomes entirely submerged.
The second constant is the family of two sisters – Nee and Mai. We first meet Nee as a student living with her mother. She and her boyfriend are involved in the student riots of the ’70s, and her boyfriend is killed when the military open fire. Mai has moved to Japan and opened a restaurant. We follow them through their lives… Nee, for a while, works in the condo building and gives swimming lessons in the building’s pool. Mai returns to Thailand. We see them in middle and old age as their children grow up in the futuristic city that is now Bangkok. No need for anyone to die – the brain can be plugged in and can communicate with those living life as we would understand it.
A really hard book to classify and compartmentalise. It is beautifully written and far reaching. I thought the ‘Sci-Fi’ part might jar – but it did not. It flowed on effortlessly.
Highly recommended.
March 1, 2019
This book is very complicated--lots of timelines and characters who connect in ways that are easy to see and sometimes obscured. There's a large dash of cli-fi and sci-fi in here as well. Honestly: I can't get into what this book is about, because there are SO many different plot lines, but the overarching theme is about the passage of time and how the permanency of place is affected by time. If you like David Mitchell, give this book a shot. Honestly, I'm planning to re-read this in the next few years, because the first reading of it is to just get your bearings straight, and the second reading can then be used for more in-depth analysis. There's really nothing else quite like this one.
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