Want to travel to Thailand without the jet lag? Once you’re done binging season three of The White Lotus, set in Koh Samui, you don’t have to leave. We’ve compiled the best books set in Thailand to transport you right to the streets of Bangkok. From science fiction to crime mystery, you don’t want to miss these seven remarkable novels. Happy travels!
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
What do a jazz pianist, a group of teenagers, and a missionary doctor share? They are deeply affected by their experiences in the beautiful country of Thailand. Told from multiple perspectives across generations, Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a reflective yet yearning love letter to Thailand.
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Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
Teeming with honesty about the Thai experience, this collection of stories explores romance, familial conflict, and the subversion of stereotypes. Among these is the award-winning short story “Farangs,” the opener of Rattawut Lapcharoensap’s collection. Transport yourself directly to Thailand with this incredible work of fiction.
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The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a world where corporations employ bioterrorism to monopolize the market, Anderson Lake is part of the problem, serving as an undercover economic hitman. Meanwhile, Emiko is in hiding, her very existence deemed illegal. She is a Windup Girl, engineered to serve in Kyoto, but she’s not the only one of her kind in Bangkok. This terrifyingly realistic portrayal of humanity’s near future is a highly-celebrated work of modern science fiction, having won both a Hugo and a Nebula award.
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The Glass Kingdom by Lawrence Osborne
Sarah Mullins has escaped to Thailand to hide at The Kingdom, a luxurious apartment complex complete with scenic views of Bangkok. But her plans to keep a low profile are thwarted when she meets fellow resident Mali, who introduces Sarah to a group of ex-pats just like her. Sarah is safe inside The Kingdom’s bubble—or so she thinks. As the world outside becomes increasingly tense, residents of The Kingdom start to turn on each other, and Sarah isn’t feeling so safe anymore. Dive into this psychological page-turner, named a New York Times Editor’s Choice.
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The Beach by Alex Garland
Serving as the basis for The Beach (2000) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, this novel follows Richard, a young man on an excursion through Southeast Asia. After a fellow traveler passes and leaves behind a map to “the Beach,” Richard becomes obsessed with exploring the legendary lagoon. But after discovering the mysterious Beach and its exclusive community, Richard fears there may be deadly secrets swimming to the surface.
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Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep and his partner Pichai just witnessed a murder. But in the chaos of the aftermath, Pichai is killed. And now? Sonchai is out for blood. This epic, fast-paced crime thriller is the first in a series following Detective Sonchai.
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Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
In this National Book Award finalist, reporter Mischa Berlinski is working for one of Thailand’s English-language newspapers when he is tipped off to an intriguing story: the death of an American anthropologist. Martiya van der Leun has died by suicide in prison, where she was serving fifty years for murder. Curious and eventually borderline obsessed, Mischa embarks on a hunt for answers, sending him on the most ambitious research journey of his career.
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