An 'Outsider' shows that we're good at faking it

An 'Outsider' shows that we're good at faking it

In his latest collection of essays, Christopher G Moore delivers some home truths about our society that might not thrill tourism officials, but he does so with love

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Socrates said an unexamined life is not worth living and while most of us would agree, we'd rather not have other people doing the examining. Self-awareness is one thing _ being naked to the eyes of the world is another. But once you get past the shame and think beyond vanity, opening oneself up to the world in this way can be educational and make us better people.

There are times when a person or a society needs an objective and impartial examination from an outsider.

Enter Christopher G Moore, who has been living in and writing about Thailand for more than two decades, although he's hardly an outsider in terms of his understanding and appreciation of his adopted country.

He examines Thai culture as a Bangkokian, who just happens to hail from Canada.

Moore is a keen observer of ''Thai-ness''. His insights are offered in an entertaining and cheeky manner, but without the usual condescension typical in the works of many outside observers. He can be brutally honest without being unnecessarily insulting.

His latest book, Faking It in Bangkok, is, as the title suggests, about how we Thais like to ''fake it''.

As with the cult classics that comprise his Land of Smiles trilogy, Moore looks behind the grinning faces on the tourist brochures. The truths he reveals are at times comical, endearing and cringe-worthy, but they all show a side of Thai society worth examining.

From dummy police on street corners to criminal activities in broad daylight; international hitmen and local godfathers; fortune-tellers and ghosts; poisoned dogs and dead foetuses; from the rule of law (or lack thereof) to the face-value culture and patronage system; and including seating arrangements on the Bangkok skytrain, computer crimes and bigamy, Faking It is a breezy and entertaining collection of essays that gives insights into Thailand that tourism officials would not want to endorse.

But all is not gloom and doom. As with all of his works, he shows a love and appreciation for a society that has its flaws and virtues, as does any on Earth.

Moore was a law professor at the University of British Columbia before embarking on a career that would see him published in 11 languages. His book Asia Hand won the 2011 Shamus Award for best original paperback and Zero Hour in Phnom Penh won the 2004 German Critics Award for international crime fiction.

FAKING IT IN BANGKOK: CRIME AND CULTURE IN THE DIGITAL AGE:: By Christopher G Moore, 278pp, 2012 Heaven Lake Press Paperback. Available at all good bookshops for 396 baht.

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