Behind the Painting ─ And Other Stories

This volume brings together Siburapha's most highly acclaimed novel, Behind the Painting, with three short stories highlighting the plight of the underclass: "Those Kind of People," "Lend Us a Hand," and "The Awakening." Behind the Painting is the story of a Thai student studying in Japan who becomes infatuated with an older Thai woman. The novel reflects postwar Thai society in the vanity of the aristocracy and the pragmatism of the new elite; in the social more of concealing one's true feelings; and in the restricted existence of unmarried women and the resulting pressure to marry, whatever the circumstance. Paralleling these Thai cultural themes are the universal themes of the fear of aging and the vagaries of love.