Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

Tides of change are always coming, and even in the climax of a chapter there is an unrelenting sense of anticipation. There’s also a restlessness threaded in these stories, connecting them beyond the simple link of geography. No transformation can unsettle the sense of a continuing humanity, an agility to individually and collectively adapt and move forward. Pitchaya’s textured prose lends a unique richness to a narrative that strives to portray the essence of urban life unconstrained by time.ĭespite the realism of certain contexts – the political concerns of military crackdowns since the 1970s, the ecological concerns of a flooded futuristic Bangkok – it’s evident that the everyday lives of these characters remain the central pillar. Presenting itself as anthology of lives but not separate enough to be a collection of short stories, “Bangkok Wakes to Rain” is structured in a way that truly captures the multiplicity of the individuals within its pages.

In these moments, seeing how characters interact with these animals are just as insightful as when characters interact with one another. Stray dogs, sparrows, and snakes feature as essential to the city, a natural part of life in a crowded metropolis. While any book can take on a shifting point of view, Pitchaya’s mastery of perspective shines through in moments where he writes from an entirely non-human standpoint. No matter the case, the novel pivots around a specific set of characters, tracing their lives and their legacies, moving from one generation to another as the narrative turns towards Bangkok’s fictitious future. These chapters are often characterized by a change in perspective, though sometimes these switches occur partway through. The novel pulls together these seemingly separate lives in a delicate and unexpected way, leaving breadcrumbs of these connections in each chapter. A young archivist from New Krungthep documents artifacts of the sunken metropolis of the 2020s. Two sisters are estranged after the events of October 1976. Time is splintered in Pitchaya’s novel, which weaves together the lives of those separated by decades and centuries all through one connection: Bangkok.Īn American missionary struggles to settle into the Siamese capital.

Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad