In my informal chat with different publishers from Thailand, I’ve heard plenty of times that it is very difficult to publish a successful farang-written book that does not revolve around a bar girl or a convict. Thai Girl by British author Andrew Hicks might well be the one and only exception. The book was first published in 2004 (by Thailand-based Asia Books and then by Singapore-based Monsoon) and has ever since seen several reprints, totalling 18,000 copies in print. Now, when a book selling 2,000 copies is considered to be a relative success, one can easily say that Thai Girl was a major success. But why?
It is true that in his book Andrew Hicks writes about the go-go bar scene, thus joining the category of prospective bestsellers. However, what makes Thai Girl different from the usual bar girl book is the fact that the story follows the adventures and misadventures of a young foreigner who’s holidaying in Thailand but is not really into paying for sex. Ben, a fresh college graduate from the UK, gets infatuated with a poor Thai girl with whom he has an unconsummated love affair.
The book is an easy read and, for those who’ve been to Thailand on a low budget, a mirror of their own time in the Land of Smiles as carefree backpackers. Thai Girl is the quintessential book about farangs in Thailand, the main character going through all the ups and downs that a first-timer might experience while visiting the Kingdom.
The main story line is quite predictable. Ben comes with his girlfriend Emma to Thailand where they quickly go their own ways. While Emma joins packs of other travelers in a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, Ben spends most of his time on the Island of Samet, located on the eastern board. Here he meets Fon, a hard working beach masseur, whom he takes to liking almost as soon as he first sees her pretty face.
However, a relationship between Ben and Fon seems impossible, as Fon is corseted in strict social rules and family duties. Ben proves to be a patient and very understanding guy, while Fon remains a mysterious Thai girl until the very end of the novel. Ben soon discovers that “A life on the land free of urban pressures and surrounded by family and friends strongly appealed to his romantic side.” Visiting Buriram, Fon’s native province, Ben gets to better understand the hardships village folks have to go through and learns to appreciate the hardworking family members who are sent to Bangkok to work and support the family.
The narrative is littered with many instances of intertextual references, such as the one where the main character “read a novel about Thailand, ‘The Beach’ by Alex Garland, hoping to learn something about the country from it.” As expected, “It told him nothing,” which experience being a far better teacher than any book Ben will ever read.
Thai Girl has done well at the “box-office” indeed, but what about its literary qualities? I’ve said before that it’s an easy, unpretentious read, but one of its flaws is that it tries to cover too many areas of Thai culture, customs and civilization in far too short a space. Andrew Hicks does his best at educating his readers in matters of Thai history, geography, way of life, and what not. This comes to the expense of the flow of the narrative, with a most unfortunate lecture on ‘Americanisms.’ A plethora of minor characters, with the only purpose of telling Ben what’s what in the Thai world, only come to emphasize the above. Having stated all this, it is true that travelling is all about short-time friendships, nonsense talk, loads of drinks and, where available, soft drugs.
Overall, Thai Girl is a book that I recommend to any newcomer to Thailand or to any reader who feels like reading a romantic adventure novel set in an exotic location. For those not familiar to the general geography of Thailand, a map of the region, with all the places mentioned during the narrative, is to be found right at the beginning of the book, thus making the imaginary navigation of the armchair traveller much more visual.
Andrew Hicks, a long time resident of Thailand, has also published several non-fiction books, mostly law related. In 2006, he resurfaced from his house in Isaan with My Thai Girl and I, an autobiographical book about how he met his wife and their life in the northeastern region of Thailand.
There’s an author’s blog too. Check them out!
