The Ultimate Best Cat Fiction Books | A Top 10
We often take dogs as our best friend, as we can’t question or doubt their loyalty and affection. But loyalty doesn’t always create strong characters
Literature of any country is associated with its past and present. There are many developed countries whose political discourse and social life is stable.
Take, for example, Finland. When was the last time you heard any news about political or social uncertainty? Now, can you recall any unsettling books by Finnish writers in the recent past? It’s hard to think of any.
Now consider Thailand. It’s a country which is always at political crossroads because of monarchy and democracy. Besides, it’s famous for tourism, and notoriously for sex tourism. Apart from that, the country also has conflicting traditions with modernity.
All of these factors provide enough food for thought for Thai books especially written by Thai writers. The Thai literature books that I’m discussing below perfectly reflect the introduction.
And some Thai fiction books also go beyond that!
Chart Korbjitti is one of the famous and modernist novelists. He mostly writes about the everyday struggles of ordinary people. His very first novel, The Judgement, won him the S.E.A. Write Award. Since then, he has published scores of fiction and non-fiction works.
Fak is a humble man who serves as a temple janitor in a rural village. Initially, he wanted to be a monk but gave up on the idea to look after his ageing father. But, when his father dies, he marries a young widow who was also his father’s wife.
This unusual situation sparks gossip and suspicion in the village. Many villagers see him as immoral and corrupt. Despite his devotion and hard work, villagers’ judgment isolates him from the community. This situation gradually pushes him into despair, to alcoholism.
It’s a great Thai book on how collective judgment can destroy an individual’s life.
Prabda Yoon is a Thai writer, filmmaker, and expert in many other creative professions. He first published his short story collection, City of Right Angles, in 2000. However, it was ” Moving Parts” that brought him critical acclaim. His another short story collection, Kwam Na Ja Pen, was a winner of S.E.A. Write Award.
This is a collection of 11 short stories about urban characters through Bangkok and beyond about the instability of modern life. In “The Yucking Finger”, the protagonist’s finger voices disdain,“Yuck, yuck”, at every decision he makes. And this goes on from his schooling to marriage.
In the “Mock Tail” story, there’s a society where everyone has a tail, except for one girl, Shamada. Now, she wears fake ones to fit in. Her missing tail eventually becomes a personal secret of the story.
Then there’s “New Hand”, where a schoolgirl bloodlessly detaches her hand and gives it to a boy she likes. Deep inside, she is testing his care and attention in a strange way. And other stories follow the same surreal patterns.
All in all, the collection’s title aptly defines the chance, disconnection, and repetitions that shape human experiences.
Kukrit Pramoj apart from being a one of the prominent Thai authors, was also a Prime Minister of Thailand from 1975 to 1976. His fictional work, however, is way before becoming a politician. Four Reigns, one of his best Thai books, was serialised in a newspaper in the early 1950s.
Phloi is a young girl from a noble family, who lives in the royal court during the reign of King Rama V. She grows up in the palace as a lady-in-waiting with royal traditions and courtly life.
She eventually leaves the court to marry Khun Prem, beginning a life outside the palace. Through her marriage, family life, and relationships, we experience the struggles of her personal life and the larger shifts in society.
She remained associated with the kingdom until the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932. This great Thai novel is rightly called one of the greatest fiction books from Thailand.
Since this is a historical novel, you should also check some other great historical fiction books and best historical movies.
Veeraporn Nitiprapha is one of the prominent female Thai authors. She often blends classical Thai literature with contemporary themes, which makes her work relevant. She is also the winner of prestigious S.E.A. Write Award for the novel we are discussing.
So, the novel is about two sisters, Chalika and Chareeya, who grow up in a broken family after the death of their parents. In adolescence, Chareeya falls in love with Pran, who’s a talented musician.
Interestingly, Chalika also secretly infatuates him. This creates a triangle where love, loyalty, and jealousy collide.
Similarly, Nut, Pran’s friend, is also somehow part of their love triangle. So, through shifting perspectives and flashbacks, it shows how the sisters’ longing and loss repeat as patterns of heartbreak and obsession.
Pitchaya Sudbanthad is one of the best Thai writers and essayists. Unlike most Thai writers, he mostly writes in English, as he lives in Brooklyn. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is his debut novel which was included as Notable Book of the Year by the Washington Post.
The novel opens in the 1830s, when an English missionary doctor, Phineas Stevens, in Bangkok to practice Western medicine. His experiences set the stage for how the city will change across generations.
Much later, in the 1970s, he meets Siripohng “Sammy” Wattana, a jazz pianist struggling between his art and the country’s political turmoil.
Decades later, we experience contemporary Bangkok, where old houses are being demolished, families facing displacement, and globalization reshaping daily life.
Eventually, Pitchaya imagines a future where rising seas have submerged the city. Interestingly, all of this makes Bangkok the central character across generations.
Rattawut Lapcharoensap is a Thai-American writer. He grew up in Thailand and later went to the United States. So, most of his stories are from the perspective of an expatriate. And he writes about his native country exploring identity, globalization, and family bonds.
Sightseeing is his debut collection with seven stories. In these stories, he shows ordinary Thai people living and dealing with the rapid social and cultural change.
In “Farangs,” a teenage boy observes his mother’s romance with an American, which shows tensions between locals and foreigners. In “Priscilla the Cambodian,” two friends befriend a refugee girl. However, prejudice and displacement soon bring them to reality.
Sunisa Manning is the third Thai-American writer so far in our best books about Thailand. She was born in Thailand and Thai and American parents raised her. So, that’s very much one of the themes of the short story collection, which I discussed above.
A Good True Thai is her debut novel and is about three university students during the 1970s turbulent political era.
Det, one of the students, is a working-class scholarship student dealing with privilege and prejudice. Whereas Lek is the daughter of an aristocratic family, who’s searching for meaning beyond eliteness.
Meanwhile, Chang wants them to become revolutionaries. But as the political uncertainty increases, they face difficult choices about loyalty, ideology, and survival.
There’s another somewhat similar movie, Machuca, from the same 1970s but from Chile. In that movie, characters also come from different social classes and their interests collide. I covered that in the best Latin American movies.
Kampoon Boontawee was one of the classic Thai novelists and short story writers of the 20th century. Unlike the modernist Thai writers, he mostly wrote about rural life in Thailand, especially the Isan region. It is because he was from the northeast part of the country.
A Child of the Northeast is one of his best Thai books about rural life. It is about a young boy Koon, growing up in a farming village in the 1930s. At that time, villagers had to dig for tubers, catch lizards, or boil tree bark when rice ran out.
In one instance, villagers had to hunt wild animals during a famine, while in another, Koon with other children went to gather crickets and locusts for food.
At the same time, we read about the cultural fabric of the 1930s. There were many festivals, superstitions, and Buddhism that families cling to despite scarcity. Overall, it is a grim tale of a child’s coming-of-age and community’s endurance.
A Child of the Northeast was the first Thai fiction book to receive the S.E.A. Write Award in 1979. Since this is a coming of age story, you can check out my favourite coming of age movies.
Saneh Sangsuk is one of the best Thai novelists who writes about adolescence, identity, and societal contradictions. His debut novel, The White Shadow, although controversial at publication, has become a cult classic. He was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France for his contributions to literature.
The White Shadow is one of the landmarks of Thai literature about a teenage boy living in Bangkok. As a boy –no name– he struggles with loneliness and the pressures of school and family. At school, he becomes infatuated with a classmate, observing her secretly. At home, he experiences tension with his parents, who expect obedience.
As the boy grows, he also becomes friends with a male peer, exploring intimacy. He also has fleeting encounters with a young woman, challenging his desires and relationships.
Eventually, his emotional and sexual awakening in the end put him at odds with personal exploration and societal expectations.
Kulap Saipradit a prominent Thai writer, who wrote by his pen name Siburapha. Earlier, he used to write romantic novels, but later wrote about social injustice and inequality. For that, he was imprisoned for many years, and later went for asylum in China.
Nopphon is a Thai student studying in Japan, who becomes infatuated with Mom Rajawongse Kirati, the wife of a family acquaintance. Despite the age and social differences, Nopphon and Kirati fall in love.
Their relationship reflects postwar Thai society, highlighting the aristocracy and the pragmatism of the new elite. As their bond deepens, Nopphon grapples with his feelings for Kirati, who conceals her true emotions.
Their personal conflicts, highlighting the tension between personal desires and societal obligations. The story concludes with Nopphon returning to Thailand with much to reflect on love and duty.
I noticed an interesting point from our discussion of Thai books, which is that Thai society is in conflict. And this holds true for all the eras from earlier 20th century Thai novels to modern Thai fiction books.
It’s because Thailand has been a monarchy, a wanna-and-don’t-wanna-be a Buddhist country, and a troubled democracy for a long time. Besides, society is changing forever and that brings identity and social differences into play.
All of these interesting conflicts provide a great narrative to Thai writers who have written some of the best Thai books. Also, if you have any favourite books on Thailand, please do share!
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