The September meeting of the Book Club discussed Sightseeing, a book of short stories by Rattawut Lapcharoensap. This slip of a lad (only 29) was born in Chicago, raised in Bangkok but educated in both places. The book is comprised of seven short stories in which he paints vividly of characters (many of us might recognize) from Thai life.

Many of the stories are sad and poignant, but are tremendously interesting insights into Thai life and culture - we all learned something new by reading the tales. We meet a number of characters who, despite their flaws, still manage to engage our empathy. Among the people are Priscilla the Cambodian who has a mouth full of gold teeth; an 11 year old who's solvent-sniffing brother takes him to a brothel; a half Thai/half Farang boy who just cannot help falling in love with Farang girls and an aging American father who has come to live in Thailand to be near his son and his son's Thai wife and their children. Many other characters who reveal the complexities and contrasts of Thai life are introduced. Although it could have been a political rant about the problems in Thailand, he has described a vibrant and touching picture of humanity and all its problems.

The main criticism of this book was that the protagonist in each story did not differ enough in tone and voice to establish the reader's belief in the characters as individuals. Despite this, the book scored eight 'goods' and one 'satisfactory'.