The other thread about this book has now slipped into a slanging match (gee, how unusual) between others and the original poster who was ~ as he said himself ~ flogging it, not necessarily recommending it.
But the book itself does not deserve that fate, so I shall attempt to resuscitate the topic by actually recommending it as a book that most of you would enjoy very much. It's fairly slim (242 pages) group of short stories, all with a vaguely related common thread: things which happen to gay farangs during their long-term or short-stays in Thailand. It's not all-about-sex, though desire pops it's head up frequently. It's not a travelogue, though one at all times knows one is in a Special Place, definitely not like their home town.
Some background:
Some years ago now the gay Thailand message boards (and I'm talking mainly about the original Dreaded Ned, the later PattayaGay, and the early Sawatdee Forum) were of a rather different ilk. Mostly ~ for me at any rate ~ that difference was that many posters wrote great longish stories about their experiences in Thailand. They were full of wonky observations of gay Thailand, fleshed out into diaries of experience which were written down on the Board for no other reason than to let other folks into their version of a Strange Land. Whether others agreed or disagreed, these stories stood on their own as one person's shared journey. Mostly, this sharing was appreciated.
It's hard to forget Charles's (Brad the Impala) long and fascinating description of his boyfriend becoming a monk. Smiles (himself) wrote long-winded (loving) stories about banging along country roads in rickety buses, motorbiking along the banks of the Mekong, and the sublime and quiet ruins at Muang Tam or Whihan. PeterUK filled the old Boards with memorable observations about Thai boys' 'to-fart-or-not-to-fart', snooker playing, and small Thailand snippets expanded into moral quandaries. Dodger helped us out quite often with his sex stories ... described in a detail only he would proffer to the Board's genteel sensibilities, yet which delighted our own senses of glory-in-raunch (not that we would ever put such things on post). And quite a few others, most long gone.
The Boards hardly have this kind of writing any more, and for me that has always seemed a great shame. The Boards are different now, and although still vibrant, they are so for different reasons and different tones. Now, when exposed, a naive-yet-not-foolish joi de vivre is often denigrated, rather than luxuriated in . . . and so folks stop posting the stuff that may well receive ridicule rather than enjoyment. It's unfortunate.
But . . . a saving grace: One of the Board's best writers & contributors has written 'If Truth Be Told'.
Some of the stories ~ or at least part of the experiences ~ in this book were in fact offered as posts on PattayaGay or Sawatdee. To those of you who were part of the original Dreaded Ned board (crazy place it was!) . . . do you remember the poster "Rick" who's modus operandi when taking guys off from a gogo bar was to investigate their butts by flashlight before making The Deal? 'Rick' received great disparagement on Dreaded Ned for such behavior ( I think he was a troll, just egging on the crowd ~ and doing well ), and the howls of horror rang high. Well that poster's distasteful predilection finds it's way into the short story "Flashlight Karl" in this book. The author takes the bare bones and runs with it, and ends up with a picture of the man (Rick/Karl) which we can laugh at, feel sorry for, and ~ in the end (so to speak :cyclops: ) ~ enjoy his final discomfort.
And yes, Smiles (himself) is in there ( " ... after that first visit, David, a crop-haired, compact, round-eyed Canadian in his mid-fifties, who had retired to Bangkok to live with his Thai boyfriend . . . " ) . . . much to my round-eyed horror when I read the story "Elephant Madness". "Compact"? Maybe you'll find yourself sneaked into sentences, or morphed into a paragraph about the behavior of customers in Thai GoGo bars.
Peter has a way with the ambiguous ending which may seem unsatisfying for those who like their stories wound up tightly at the end, but in fact life is just like that . . . all ambiguity at every turn of the corner . . . all options, rather than certainty.
His stories are all about acute observation, and you will recognize many of the situations, and certainly many of the feelings.
So ~ whatever you want to pay, go out a buy this book. Take it down to the beach an slip quietly into Peter's World . . . and recognize many of the feelings and frustrations, and joy, and disappointments inherent "in the life" in the back alleys, snooker hall, gogo bars, and Umbrella Days of gay Thailand.
(And . . . regret that folks on these Boards don't post personal experiences and stories much any more.)
Here's a scan of the books front cover you would be looking for if you want to purchase the book. I hope Peter will read this and post a reply to this thread about the exact locations it is available. My copy (kindly sent to me here in Canada by the author) has a price of 395 baht clearly stamped on the back cover.
Cheers ...
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Originally Posted by Brad the Impala
