Thai writer Pitchaya Sudbanthad is a master at weaving timelines and characters together in this debut novel. It’s a cocktail of historical, science, and climate fiction which sees stories from characters across centuries linked by their relationship to the city of Bangkok and the growing threat of the rain that will soon drown it. The non-linear chapters include a variety of characters, such as a 19th-century missionary doctor, a musician who is asked to perform for ghostly spirits, a student caught in political unrest, and a woman who lives in a digitised version of Bangkok after it descends underwater. Although I felt that there were too many characters, which occasionally blurred stories, it was satisfying to spot characters crossing over into each other’s realities as the book goes on. It’s an interesting read that speaks to technology’s place within the climate crisis, Thailand’s spirituality, and how a place can connect generations. IM

Published by Hodder & Stoughton