Number 62 - The Stone Buddha's Tears - SP Somtow

As any regular readers of this blog will know, I'm a big fan of SP Somtow (aka Somtow Sucharitkul).  So when I needed a quick cheat read, where else to turn but this slim volume that I picked up online a couple of months back.

This was written for younger readers but doesn't stop it from being a very easy and entertaining read for a slightly older person like me.  After all, an adult is just a child with an extra decade or two (or three) worth of experience. 

Based on the true story of when the city of Bangkok erected a high fence to hide the slums contained within from the delegates at an IMF conference, this is a shaggy dog story about the meeting of two boys from polar opposite ends of society.

The narrator is simply known as Boy because his mother never thought it worthwhile to name him.  He is a beggar in the tourist district where one day he runs into Lek, the son of a prominent politician. Lek is spending his time as a Buddhist monk in order to create a photo opportunity to assist his father's political career.  He has learned the lessons of the monastery a bit too well for his father's good though. A friendship strikes up between the two boys which will have long lasting impact on both their lives.

This being a children's book we can forgive the wish-fulfilment elements of the story.  Everything works out for all the poor characters and the corrupt rich are exposed for what they are.  However, on the way to this slightly unbelievable conclusion there is some real darkness and the closing chapters are tinged with a genuine sadness despite the success of their plans. 

There is also a strong fantasy element sewn through the book with the Buddha (or a stone version of him at least) appearing in several dream sequences. This of course lends the book its title.

Somtow was a Buddhist monk himself for a while so I have to assume the depiction of life in the temple and the multiple loopholes in their regulations is accurate.

The city is a character all of its own, though distinctly schizophrenic.  The sights and sounds and smells are evoked brilliantly.  The human cast are all equally well depicted.  Somtow's prose, although it's been toned down for the youthful audience, is as lucid and evocative as ever.

Highly recommended, and available online from various sources.  an easy 7.5/10.