Night of the Water Spirits - Softcover

Barbara Bisco

Softcover

ISBN 10: 095602761X ISBN 13: 9780956027610

Publisher: Black Lotus Publishing Ltd, 2011

Synopsis

When Panda's American cousin first comes to Bangkok, he throws a lizard at her and she bites him. Yet on a night when the country's waterways are alight with a myriad tiny candles, their relationship takes a different turn; one that draws them together again as adults and, in spite of turbulent marriages to other people, leads them to defy some of society's most fervently held taboos. From Bangkok's glittering temples to one of Indonesia's most desolate islands to the white sand beaches of Thailand's southern coast as a tsunami thunders in, Night of the Water Spirits is a story of passion and betrayal, of powerful spirits and clashing beliefs, of warring drug lords and real life dragons, of a search for a sense of belonging in a world that is increasingly becoming a global village. www.nightofthewaterspirits.com

About this title

About the Author

BARBARA BISCO caught her first glimpse of Thailand from the deck of a China Siam Line freighter as it steamed up the Chao Phrya River toward Bangkok in 1960. She quickly fell in love with the beautiful country and when, a year later, she had to leave, she went to the Erawan Shrine and asked the god, Phra Bhram, to bring her back to Thailand. He has brought her back to Bangkok many times since, once on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1968 and twice for two-year postings in 1980 and 1985 with her husband and daughter. During those four years, Barbara worked as a volunteer at the National Museum in Bangkok. Barbara has a degree in anthropology from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University where she met her husband, a nomadic economist. Barbara is the author of two books: A TASTE FOR GREEN TANGERINES, a novel set in Indonesian Borneo, "a sizzling escape to a richly drawn other world...a book about finding yourself in the most unexpected of places", and NIGHT OF THE WATER SPIRITS, a novel set mostly in Thailand, but also Malaysia and Indonesia (launched 6 October 2011). Her short stories have appeared in various books and magazines. Barbara and her husband now live in London but Phra Bhram continues to pull back to Bangkok for visits. Read more about her books on the following www.nightofthewaterspirits.com, www.atasteforgreentangerines.com

Review

Sarah Broadhurst's view... lovereading.co.uk
An intriguing, involving and surprising family saga of two cousins over many turbulent years.  Set in Thailand and taking in the Boxing Day tsunami, I felt hungry for more cultural detail but loved the eventful story.  This is the her second novel I would highly recommend her first, Green Tangerines.

Kate Lila, goodreads.com: Bisco's second novel is perceptive, funny, 'pacey' and deceptively deep in its wisdom. I love how she handles her characters, with a deft, worldly, tolerant touch ... it's the bicultural side of her work that intrigues me most. There's a lot of dialogue, which interested me as a writer---it makes the action rip along.

Edition details

• Publisher: Black Lotus Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 095602761X
• ISBN 13: 9780956027610
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 416