Bangkok Eight
Summary:
A thriller with attitude to spare, Bangkok 8 is a sexy, razor-edged, often darkly hilarious novel set in one of the world’s most exotic cities.
Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep—a devout Buddhist and the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I.—is hell-bent on wreaking revenge. On a vigilante mission to capture his partner’s murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones and captures her heart in the process. In a city fueled by illicit drugs and infinite corruption, prostitution and priceless art, Sonchai’s quest for vengeance takes him into a world much more sinister than he could have ever imagined. (retrieved from Penguin Random House >>
Group Reviews/Comments:
The group liked and disliked this book in equal measure. 4 thumbs up, 4 thumbs down.
Those who enjoyed the read were drawn into the story line completely. The mystery itself became secondary; the plot revolved around the sex trade and transgender issues in modern day Bangkok and the reader was “pulled in” almost to the point of culture shock.
The theme, in a sense, fit a traditional mystery fiction theme of morality, good and evil, corruption, etc. The setting was so vivid it really felt like being in a third world country. The smells, the sights–one reader commented that the experience of reading about Bangkok through this writer’s eyes was very “tactile.”
Those that didn’t like the book frequently said that they “wanted to like it.” The concepts were great but the read wasn’t easy. It was hard to keep track of the plot and characters (the writer frequently didn’t use he/she when introducing a character, which led to lots of confusion. One is left wondering how deliberate this was.
Another criticism was that there really wasn’t a mystery. Those who liked the book looked past this but for those who the reading was a chore, the lack of a true mystery made the process even more unpleasant.
There was also quite a bit of violence, which was sprung on the reader without much lead up.
There was also criticism of the structure of the story; those who disliked the book agreed, although no one was able to really put a finger on why.
Whether our members liked or disliked it, the book provoked an interesting discussion about the need to let go of our own cultural perspectives when reading Bangkok Eight, not to judge and to see the beauty as well as the grit in this culture. One reader stated that reading the book was a “wonderful cultural meditation.”
There was strong appreciation that the prostitutes (who were characters throughout the novel) were given lives and distinct personalities. They were strong women and portrayed very differently than their counterparts in Western culture.
We also all agreed that the murder itself (yes, there was a murder) was one of the most unique murders we’d read!
