I’d like to read more from Sudbantha, but something told more linearly. Both books go back and forth between the past, present and future and both have separate and later converging storylines. How he tells his story reminds me of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, which I didn’t enjoy. There are lots of characters who we only get to follow for a few chapters, but Sudbantha makes you feel as if you really understand them. Sudbantha writes in a way that makes the scenes, characters, and setting come alive. What I liked and disliked about Bangkok Wakes to Rain: First, the writing is brilliant. And then it’s not until part 4 that you understand what the whole book is about: a story of Bangkok from its past through its present and into its future. It’s not until part 2 when the characters converge that the novel becomes more interesting. The only thing they have in common is that there all set in Bangkok. Is it a novel (the blurb says it is) or a collection of short stories? Each chapter features new characters unrelated to those in earlier chapters, and each chapter is set in a different period. It’s unclear what the book is about at first. Bangkok Wakes to Rain (love the title) is a beautifully written book by Pitchaya Sudbantha.
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