Mind over matter
Not many Thai books address the issue of mental illness. But breaking the taboo came Reung Lao Jark Phoo Kao Nam Kaeng ( Tales From The Tip Of An Iceberg), a memoir from Khaisri Wisutthipinetr based on her experience of being treated for bipolar disorder. She recovered from the illness five years ago, and her book won last year’s Naiin Book Award in the non-fiction category. It still holds strong on the Thai-language best-selling list.
The 43-year-old writer is a civil servant at Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and spends her free time perfecting her second book. For now, she shares her reading list with us.
Which books are at your bedside now?
I just re-read Sai Sam Phan, a translation of Forgetting Places by S.P. Somtow. I am just into sci-fi books and am a big fan of S.P. Somtow. There is something quixotic about his imagination, especially when he infuses horror with science. Another book on my bedside is The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. The book addresses the idea of life after death told through an interesting narrative. Albom always has an unusual way of writing his stories.
Which books make you laugh and/or cry?
I keep re-reading Tone Som San Rak ( My Sweet Orange Tree), a children’s book by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos, time and again, and I cry every time. Of course, some books can make me laugh. Among them are Sam Kler Series ( Three Amigos), a series of satirical novels by Por Intapalit, and Far Mai Tee San Marco ( Don Quixote USA) by Richard Powell. Forrest Gump by Winston Groom always makes me laugh — the movie starring Tom Hanks too.
Which books similar to your own work do you recommend?
Thailand has just a few books that address mental illness. Those that deal with the issue are self-help manuals, or medical accounts written by psychologists. The book I will recommend is a phenomenal hit, Karn Dern Tarng Ork Jark Karn Pen Bah, translated from The Quiet Room: A Journey Out Of The Torment Of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett. The book is based on Schiller’s harrowing experience fighting schizophrenia, which drove her to the verge of suicide. As a patient of bipolar disorder, the book made me panic as I was so afraid that I would follow the same path.
All time favourites?
I am a big fan of children’s books, but my kind of “children’s books” are not those with sunny tales of adventure. Children’s books that I prefer are more about the life and relationship of children towards the world, society and people around them. Children in these books often are misfits, kids from broken homes. Tone Som San Rak ( My Sweet Orange Tree) is top of the list. I like Toh Toh Jang Dek Ying Karng Nah Tarng, a Japanese book about the life of a young misfit who tries to adjust to life in a new school. The Neverending Story is also on my list; the book might be full of fantasy, but readers know that Balthazar has his own psychological problems.
For entertainment, I love Phet Phra Uma by Phnom Tien (a very long Thai serial novel resembling Sir Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines).
Dead trees or e-books?
Dead trees, as I like the feeling of holding a book in my hands. Natural paper is healthy for my eyesight. Yet I am willing to try more e-books because all the downloadable materials mean more opportunities.