Tuned to the rhythms of the soap operas that air on Thai television each
night and written with the consuming intensity of a fever dream, this
novel opens an insightful and truly compelling window into the Thai
heart.This is a melodrama about a ship-wrecked relationship. Set in
Thailand and traveling loosely over the 1980s and '90s, with mention of
a political incident in 2010, this sad and beautiful book begins on the
day Chareeya is born, the same day her mother discovers her father
having an affair with a traditional Thai dancer. From that moment on,
Chareeya's life is bound to the weight of her parents'
disappointments.She and her sister Chalika grow up in a lush, tranquil
riverside town near the Thai capital of Bangkok, captivated by romance
novels, classical music and games of make-believe. As children, the two
develop a friendship with an orphaned boy, Pran. Over time these
childhood friends find themselves lost between unrequited desires and
fantastical dreams that are realer than their everyday lives. The
culmination of the story comes as neither Chareeya, Chalika, nor Pran
can exit safely from the intertwined labyrinth of their fates.The
author's lyrical prose is enchanting: the book is filled with the
colors, sounds and fragrances of Thailand. Her language has a hazy
cinematic effect as characters maneuver through magical remembrances of
events gone by, often failing to confront the problems in front of
them.Dangerous and irresistible, the story can be read either as a nod
to old-fashioned Thai romances, or as a sophisticated, literary upgrade
of the soap opera drama, or as a bitter commentary on the myths,
smokescreens and delusions that seem to have disoriented the Thai people
with many years' heartbreak in attendance.The Blind Earthworm in the
Labyrinth won the 2015 S.E.A. Award, Southeast Asia's most prestigious
literary prize. It is now masterfully translated into English by Kong
Rithdee, film critic and award-winning author in her own right.
