Travel Reading

It seems to be more difficult to find fiction where the action takes place in Asia, versus Europe.  Before our vacations I run through Amazon's search engine, which does allow me to narrow down to specific countries...but it's hard to find something other than your basic romances for settings in the Far East. 

I find limited choices when it comes to Vietnam other than novels that take place during the War.  In 2015 my book club read The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen so I don't want to repeat it.  It won the 2016 Pulitzer for fiction, along with other awards.  I enjoy the first half of the writing, but once the characters return to Vietnam it feels like a slog.  Other members of my book club feel the same way, but we have a lively discussion about the issues he portrays.  At least I finish this award-winning one, unlike The Luminaries!

Since we're visiting Cambodia on the same jaunt, I focus my "location" reading on it.  There's more selection here, and I choose two works.  I'm interested in how the temple ruins were discovered by the Europeans and brought into the world spotlight, along with some of the more recent history of the overthrow of the regimes in the 1970s.

The first book I pick before our trip is The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay.  Unfortunately, it never gives you a sense of the Cambodian setting.  The events could be taking place anywhere in Asia or South America (or Egypt if you make it a desert instead of a jungle), other than the fact that she keeps mentioning the apsara (dancing women statues).  It's your standard "plucky heroine out to make a name for herself" plot.  In the 1920s Irene (the main character) leaves the US to search for a temple she believes holds a great archaeological discovery and along the way she also ends up uncovering secrets from her family's past.  My other main complaint is the author's inconsistency with her characters' behaviors.  For example, Irene rushes to a city to hopefully see her father figure before he dies, but once she arrives there she waits several days before trying to see him..for no good reason.  She also complains (frequently) of the colonial powers looting their subject countries' ancient treasures, but her big plan is to steal ancient scrolls from Cambodia to restore her reputation in the museum world community.  Despite the starred review from Booklist and being a finalist for the Edgar Award Best First Novel, I wouldn't recommend this bestseller.

I also discover In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner.  This is probably my favorite of all the ones I've read so far based on where we've traversed.  This semi-autobiographical story is told from the point of view of a child, Raami, who is a princess in a minor branch of the royal family during the Khmer Rouge civil war.  You're given an excellent sense of how the country was torn apart and destroyed - both the people and the land.  It helps me to understand and put a (fictional, but based in reality) face when I view the temples, countryside, and killing fields.  The events are depressing, but it's hopeful, too.

I did not reread this!

For our next trip, I thought it would be easier to find publications that use Thailand as a setting.  I do have more choices, and I have to chuckle when I see Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason show up on the list.  Yes, part of it does take place in Thailand!  Having finished it years ago, I decide to skip it. (Though in honor of Bridget Jones, I watch the newest movie, Bridget Jones' Baby, while I'm by myself in Phuket.)





My first choice to put me in the mood for Thailand is A Good Death by Christopher R. Cox.  Though published four years ago, it has only 10 reviews on Amazon, but starred reviews from Booklist (hopefully they won't let me down again) and Library Journal.  It does turn out to be gratifying!  I'd put this in the private eye mystery genre, as the main character, Sebastian, is charged with going to Thailand to investigate the death of a Laotian refugee turned American citizen.  The company who hires him believes she faked her death for the insurance money and wants him to find her.  It takes place in the 1990s, so it's fun to see references to fax machines and limited use of email and no cell phones.  This is the first fictional tale by an award winning journalist with decades of experience traveling and reporting on southeast Asia, and his knowledge creates a vibrant picture of the area.  

I did not read this!

Since we also spend time in Phuket I decide on Cross Currents by John Shors. I'm familiar with one of his paperbacks, Beneath a Marble Sky, a historical fiction based around the building of the Taj Mahal.  His previous book is fine, but the characters are predictable - I feel like I could have mapped out the events of the story line way before I come to them.  I considered trying out another one he wrote that takes place in ancient Cambodia, Temple of a Thousand Faces, which is set around the building of Angkor Wat.  But due to the similarities of the inspirations of those two works I decided to pass on it.  However, when he pops up again when doing my research for Phuket I decide to give him another chance.

Again, it's fine.  It's not poorly written, but it feels like once I'm introduced to the characters I can foresee everything that will happen to them (and as I reach the ending it turns out I'm correct).  I'm sure other people love him (his reviews average 4 to 4 1/2 stars on Amazon) but there's no surprises.  The simplicity of his tales means if you're dealing with something complicated in your life this author won't cause a mental strain.

It takes place in 2004 on the island of Koh Phi Phi, near Phuket.  You can probably already anticipate one event that will take place, and Mr. Shors discusses the tsunami in an Author's Note at the beginning.  I would categorize this as a family drama, as the narrative focuses on a local family trying to scratch out a living by renting outs huts on the beach and a pair of American brothers who come to the island, with their own, different problems to resolve.

I didn't want to write comprehensive plot summaries or reviews since there are so many other places you can find exhaustive accounts of the novels.  However, if something I've said has piqued your interest, happy reading to you!  I'm looking forward to finding material for our next adventure - Singapore and the Maldives!