The
novel is set in modern day Bangkok and tells the story
of the unlikely friendship of three people from very
distinct backgrounds who are thrown together by a dramatic
event at a cremation ceremony they attend in a Buddhist
temple for a well known public figure. The consequence
of their response sets in motion their relationship
and reveals a past, connected to the dead man which
each of them has tried to avoid facing.
Marisa, a film star turned producer,
now in her early forties is not the fairy tale come
true that her fans have always thought her to be.
Arun, the successful painter grapples
with his doubts and indecisions as a result of the wounds
from childhood.
Don, an ex Buddhist monk has just returned
to the secular life in order to confront his guilty
past.
Bangkok, with all its contradictions
and shifting values is the place where they must come
to terms with themselves and find a more solid future.
Their struggle to do so reflects the uncertainty and
fragility of a city undergoing profound changes.
The theme of the Naga which runs through
the story represents the unpredictable and powerful
element of water that can be both nurturing and destructive.
As the drama of the three friends unfolds Bangkok, originally
built on a mangrove swamp and already close to crumbling
in a physical sense due to its collapsing infrastructure,
as well as degenerating into a moral wasteland is threatened
by a flood which eventually comes close to destroying
the city.
Click
here to read an excerpt from The Naga's Journey. |
