Book Review: Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

 

 

Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

 368 pages, Hardcover
Published 2019 by Riverhead Books

One of the best books I read this year came in after I posted my best of the year, and that has been known to happen.  This was a book I read entirely because of an article about in the issue of Science Fiction Studies I picked up at SFAM in LA last year. The theme of the issue was Southeast Asian speculative fiction. I see no sign that this was marketed as a genre novel, but anyone reading my reviews knows how I feel about that. 

I have no proof other than a similar literary device, but I often thought of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell while reading this book. It is built on the concept of a single house over many decades, starting in the past and stretching into the future, which highlights the city as a character. Yes, it is the story of Bangkok that stretches into the future look at the effects of climate change. That is where the book gets speculative. That might lose some readers, in either direction. There are just a few SF elements early, not enough for some readers and others will think it gets too weird. 

That said, those readers are wrong. BWTR works on every level.  The speculative elements of this novel are more obvious in the back half, but that doesn’t mean they are not present in the early chapters, and that is stronger in the case of this novel. This becomes clearer the longer you get into the narrative. The novel is lyrical and powerfully written, and some might find it challenging to connect everything, but I was fine.

I know some elements of this story are over my head, as I don’t understand the history of Siam/Thailand or the people, as well as the folks who lived it. That is OK, that is one of the joys of reading international literature; I often choose books for that reason, it is a lens on these cultures. Thai-ness and the vibe of the city we know as Bangkok is a huge part of this novel. 

SF novels about cities have a long tradition, and I was surprised a few times to get the feeling of Delany’s Dahlgren or Shirley’s City Come a Walkin’, but this novel is never quite that strange. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of strange speculative elements.  What is really neat is how the nature of the city changes thanks to climate change, the characters adapt to nature and use technology. As with many of my favorite speculative fiction works, the nature of reality is a question woven into the fabric of the tale.  Pitchaya Sudbanthad creates a vibe of the city; you feel the heat and humidity drip off the page. Each of the interconnected sections feels lived in, even the fantastical. 

A towering achievement for a first-time novelist. Very impressed.