hasseltkoffie's review
4.0
"Ganja is, of course, much frowned upon by mainline Buddhist tradition and indeed the Greatest of Men expressly forbade intoxication in any form. On the other hand, Buddhism (I explain to myself) was never intended to consist of a static set of rules boilerplated for all time. It is an organic Way, which automatically adapts itself to the present moment. I keep it under the futon.
I roll a fat spliff, light up, inhale heartily. Now all of a sudden I’m distilling grief. I’m ripping off every Band-Aid, I’m daring to bleed, and I’m concentrating the pain (sweet Buddha, how I loved that boy!). I don’t want relief, I want him. With my agony carefully located right between the eyes, I take another toke, hold it as long as I can, repeat the process. I don’t want enlightenment, I want him. Sorry, Buddha, I loved him more than you."
"I’m a one-heart woman. I give it once, then I don’t have it anymore."
I roll a fat spliff, light up, inhale heartily. Now all of a sudden I’m distilling grief. I’m ripping off every Band-Aid, I’m daring to bleed, and I’m concentrating the pain (sweet Buddha, how I loved that boy!). I don’t want relief, I want him. With my agony carefully located right between the eyes, I take another toke, hold it as long as I can, repeat the process. I don’t want enlightenment, I want him. Sorry, Buddha, I loved him more than you."
"I’m a one-heart woman. I give it once, then I don’t have it anymore."
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
Burdett originally called the book Krung Thep, which is the Thai name for the city. Deemed to obscure by the publisher, the title was changed to Bangkok 8 for the police district where much of the action takes place. Our hero Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheap explains on page 7:
A farang is a westerner, and Sonchai is half-farang himself, the father he never knew being an American soldier fresh from Vietnam. Naturally, his mother is a retired prostitute. Being a devout Buddhist he refuses the standard police bribes, but he isn't above smoking a little ganja to help him meditate. By page 10 Sonchai has witnessed his partner and dear friend killed by drugged cobras in the aftermath of a bizarre and grisly murder of a U.S. Marine sergeant.
If this wild ride through a morally ambiguous world of sex, drugs, and Buddhism sounds appealing, then jump on the back of a motorbike taxi and hang on tight. Whether careening out of control at top speed or stuck in the infamous Bangkok traffic, you'll be on the edge of your seat!
"Krung Thep means City of Angels, but we are happy to call it Bangkok if it helps to separate a farang from his money."
A farang is a westerner, and Sonchai is half-farang himself, the father he never knew being an American soldier fresh from Vietnam. Naturally, his mother is a retired prostitute. Being a devout Buddhist he refuses the standard police bribes, but he isn't above smoking a little ganja to help him meditate. By page 10 Sonchai has witnessed his partner and dear friend killed by drugged cobras in the aftermath of a bizarre and grisly murder of a U.S. Marine sergeant.
If this wild ride through a morally ambiguous world of sex, drugs, and Buddhism sounds appealing, then jump on the back of a motorbike taxi and hang on tight. Whether careening out of control at top speed or stuck in the infamous Bangkok traffic, you'll be on the edge of your seat!
fionab_16's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ben_miller's review against another edition
3.5
Lord Buddha chose this book for me, in the guise of my three-year-old son who pulled it off the shelf while rampaging through the public library. Ordinarily I just trail in his wake, doing my best to clean up, but in this case I glanced at the dust jacket and thought, hey, this looks pretty interesting.
If it was my karma to read this novel, the cause is obscure (probably something I did lifetimes ago), because I didn't exactly love it. It sets its aim higher than your average detective novel, and in some ways succeeds. It tries to weave themes of globalization, police corruption, the sex trade, the drug trade, the gem trade, Buddhism, and probably several other things I forgot into a coherent crime thriller, so the mere fact that it doesn't go completely off the rails is impressive.
But it doesn't entirely work, either. For one thing, all the characters—whether Thai or American, whether upper class or from the streets—talk in the same voice, that of a world-weary middle-aged British expat writer. For another, the plot resists the traditional police procedural formula but just gets increasingly bizarre, instead, losing tension and suspense when it should be gaining.
Not sure if I'll read more in the series...must wait to see if the Blessed One gives me a sign.
If it was my karma to read this novel, the cause is obscure (probably something I did lifetimes ago), because I didn't exactly love it. It sets its aim higher than your average detective novel, and in some ways succeeds. It tries to weave themes of globalization, police corruption, the sex trade, the drug trade, the gem trade, Buddhism, and probably several other things I forgot into a coherent crime thriller, so the mere fact that it doesn't go completely off the rails is impressive.
But it doesn't entirely work, either. For one thing, all the characters—whether Thai or American, whether upper class or from the streets—talk in the same voice, that of a world-weary middle-aged British expat writer. For another, the plot resists the traditional police procedural formula but just gets increasingly bizarre, instead, losing tension and suspense when it should be gaining.
Not sure if I'll read more in the series...must wait to see if the Blessed One gives me a sign.
retroreader17's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Classism, and Colonisation
davidgreene's review
4.0
Palpable immersion in Thai culture. Adding to the sense of immersion is the author's use of first person present tense. Burdett employs a 19th-century technique, occasionally addressing the reader directly with asides and commentary prefaced by the salutation "farang."
diannagendron's review
4.0
The most fun kind of prep work for an #Asia2020 Shanghai/Thailand/Bali trip.
From the seedy to the super-luxe and art-filled, to the Buddhist undertones and contrasts between the mindsets of East & West; the food & culture, the city & slums; the regional history & drug trade & corruption; the highlighting of the ‘particularities’ of the Thai POV, the economic role of the sex trade, and the dry humor of the detective’s voice, I quite enjoyed reading this fun bop of a crime-noir. I think I’ll read the next one next.
[302 kindle highlights?! LOL!]
From the seedy to the super-luxe and art-filled, to the Buddhist undertones and contrasts between the mindsets of East & West; the food & culture, the city & slums; the regional history & drug trade & corruption; the highlighting of the ‘particularities’ of the Thai POV, the economic role of the sex trade, and the dry humor of the detective’s voice, I quite enjoyed reading this fun bop of a crime-noir. I think I’ll read the next one next.
[302 kindle highlights?! LOL!]
carolynf's review
4.0
Murder and the sex trade in Bangkok, but enhanced by a lot of philosophy, Buddhist and otherwise.
apetruce's review
3.0
I'm not a huge fan of mysteries but the setting in this book seemed very intriguing to me. It takes place in the brothels of Bangkok, Thailand. While the setting kept me interested, the story got progressively weirder and creepier as the book went on.