After The Wave

by Tew Bunnag

In 2005, to mark the first anniversary of theTsunami in the Indian Ocean that took so manylives, the BBC commissioned Tew Bunnag, alongwith other authors from the affected countries, towrite a short story to be broadcast on Radio 4.Tew wrote the moving ‘Lek and Mrs. Miller’. Exceptionally well-received, he decided towrite a collection of stories surrounding theTsunami.

These were inspired by his experiences working in the South of Thailand for an NGOhelping and talking to those who were sufferingfrom the aftermath, and who suffered the devasta-tion at first hand and dealing with the loss of theirfamilies and friends, as well as, in some cases, theirlivelihoods.

Though their themes are tied to the disasterthat took place, the stories touch on universal is-sues that go beyond the actual event such as loss,recovery and continuation after a tragedy. The collection is a deeply moving and poignant readfor all those who love contemporary fiction.

Genres: Contemporary

91 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published November 13, 2015

Reviews

[Marinetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Δεν μου άρεσε η γραφή αλλά ήταν συγκινητικό ως προς τον σεβασμό που δείχνουν οι Ταϋλανδοί για τον άνθρωπο και τα ζώα . Ή έστω αυτό ήθελε να περάσει ο συγγραφέας.
Για το τσουνάμι , τι να πω.. πολύ στενάχωρα τα σημεία αναφοράς σ αυτό.

[Christine Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection began with a commission: the BBC asked Bunnag to write a story for the first anniversary of the 2004 tsunami. His piece Lek and Mrs. Miller aired on Radio 4 in 2005, was warmly received, and became the seed for a larger project. Drawing on his volunteer work after the wave, he expanded the single story into a series of interconnected vignettes that give voice to survivors, fractured families, and communities navigating grief.

The prose is spare and meditative, shaped by listening rather than invention. Each story carries quiet dignity, small gestures of resilience, and the haunting weight of remembrance. What began as one act of witness grew into a slim but resonant collection, literature serving as testimony to loss and endurance.

That clarity reflects Bunnag’s own path: a Thai author born in Bangkok and educated at Cambridge, dividing his time between Spain and Thailand. His fiction in English explores the tensions between modern and traditional Thai life, informed by years of teaching T’ai Chi, meditation, and humanitarian work in Bangkok. After the Wave is one more way he brings contemporary Thai experience into English‑language literature through stories of loss, resilience, and witness.