Most expat fiction pales in comparison to the greats: Graham Greene, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald. Most of today’s paperback hacks simply see the foreign as an exotic setting. Fine, if you don’t care about authenticity. However, when I run into a story set in a place I’ve been, and it lacks authenticity, toss it aside (or return it to the library – cuz that’s how I role).
I’ve read Greene, thoroughly. And Hemingway. I’ve waited for someone to take up the torch. No one has. But here are a couple of guys who come close.
John Burdett is a former lawyer who decided to give up his life of depositions and opening arguments to write novels about Bangkok. He could have ended up like so many others there. Burnt out, aging men sitting in bars with cheap drinks and young birds. If you’ve been to Bangkok you now what I mean. Not that I have anything against those guys.
Burdett’s books, about a half-Thai, Half-American cop are quite compelling, and, surprisingly, authentic. Burdett has done his research. The first two books are sprinkled with wisdom and insight into a foreign culture that is impenetrable and incomprehensible to tourists and, even, foreign residents. Burdett, through his hero, Detective Sonchai Jitleecheep, isn’t afraid to point out the inconsistencies and, sometimes, the silliness, of Thai psyche.
His third book, Bangkok Haunts, is good, but the writing seems a bit tired, relying more on shock value than story. Still, few approach Burdett’s level of authenticity.
Here is a short story of Burdett's that has been made available online. It's a good sample of his style and insight.
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