Gossiping, girl's nights out and gold-digging crushes are instantly recognisable tropes of the popular literary genre of female commercial literature, known as chick-lit. Now we can add som tam and spice to the list because the genre has a new Thai counterpart. Tichakorn Khroopan Hill's debut novel, From Bangkok with Despair: (mis)adventures in DC, on the surface seems to retread the stiletto-punctured paths of the genre with blind faith, but the subtleties of having a Thai author (and protagonist) at the narrative helm gently surface like bubbles in a big mango Bellini. So how has Tichakorn brought a distinctly Thai flavour to the book and how much will she confess is autobiographical?
"The main character, Joyjira, does share some of my characteristics," says Tichakorn.
"For example, we both love Hello Kitty and cheesy love songs. We also both hate germs and geckos, and she's a reporter just like I was in my previous life. But she's a lot stronger, braver and funnier than I am."
The popularity of the chick-lit genre perhaps lies in its faithful following of conventions that target a receptive niche. 50 Shades of Grey is the fastest selling paperback of all time perhaps due to its crossing over to the sexually salubrious "clit lit" arena. But for From Bangkok with Despair, Tichakorn drew from another source for inspiration.
"Years ago I came across this hilarious memoir, Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy (Lindsay Moran, 2005), and was hooked," Tichakorn says of the book that has been described as a cross between Bridget Jones and James Bond.
"It made me want to write something that would make me laugh, and so I started a blog at BlogGang about my daily life. Some fellow bloggers suggested I write a novel. If I'm the first Thai to ever write in this genre, then that's fantastic _ I'm honoured."
Tichakorn Khroopan Hill.
While the prose flows easily and playfully through the actions and misadventures of protagonist Joy, the author confesses to not attempting to redefine the literary canon of Thailand.
"My goal is to entertain people, and if the readers are entertained, I've done my job. I subscribe to the notion that laughter is the best medicine. If you can laugh off all the s****y things that happen in your life, then you have nothing to be afraid of. When life gives you lemons, you should not only make lemonade but also lemon tarts ... and maybe lemon cupcakes too."
Tichakorn was educated and grew up in Bangkok, where pop culture is dominated by local identities and maintains a distinctly Thai flavour. This leads a domestic readership to look only inwardly for cultural cues. So what turned Tichakorn's eye outwards to the English language and Western pop culture?
"I feel connected to the [English] language because I love travelling, and it serves as a window to the world. When I was in junior high, my dad signed me up for evening English classes with American and Filipino missionaries at a Seventh-day Adventist school."
The novel is littered with Western pop culture references, with everyone from Tom Cruise to the Addams Family to Fatal Attraction getting a mention. "I grew up watching Western movies and listening to radio shows that played hit songs from America. Sleepless in Seattle is one of my favourite feel-good movies. But my all-time favourite has to be Bridget Jones's Diary. I can relate to the main character because some of the challenges she's facing are similar to mine. The story is also told in a comical way, which I love."
Tichakorn has lived and worked as a writer and journalist outside Thailand for almost 20 years, literally bridging the East-West divide. Is she consciously exposing a Thai audience to accessible Western counterparts in her novel?
"I think a Thai audience will be interested in Joy's adventures especially because she is Thai. Joyjira was born and raised in a middle-class family in Bangkok, so I think the book at least represents Thai women in that category in terms of social values and the way they see the world." In this regard, Tichakorn is a pioneer.
"I bring a unique voice and background. Most well-known chick-lit protagonists are Caucasian, and so having a Thai girl who is also a journalist in Washington makes the genre more diverse and interesting."
Right now, Tichakorn is reading Moonlight in Odessa (2009) by Janet Skeslien Charles, also a debut novel and true to her chick-lit tendencies. "It's about a Ukrainian girl who works at an Israel shipping company and also moonlights as an international marriage broker. It's a peek into the world of mail-order brides in Ukraine, post-perestroika. Interesting stuff."
Will we hear about more misadventures from Joy in the future? "I'm narrowing down a few ideas for my next book, which may or may not be a sequel."
From Bangkok with Despair: (mis)adventures in DC by Tichakorn Khroopan Hill is available from www.amazon.com as a paperback and Kindle download. For more information visit www.tichakornhill.com. She can be reached at tichakornhill@hotmail.com.
