Some books ask for an armchair. This one asks for a city. Reading La Saison du souffle in Bangkok means accepting that the pages and the streets contaminate each other a little. Five places for that, from quietest to loudest.
A hotel lobby, in the morning
Bangkok’s grand lobbies are reading rooms that do not know it: air conditioning, deep armchairs, relative silence. In the morning, before the guests arrive, you can find a full hour without interruption. It is the place that most resembles the novel’s own setting.
A park, late afternoon
Benjakitti or Lumpini: a bench, trees, and the city’s background noise that stays without getting in the way. Light fails fast; accept closing the book at the right moment rather than pushing on.
A neighbourhood café
Not the Sukhumvit ones, too loud: look for cafés in side streets, the kind where people work without loud music. One table, one iced drink, two hours.
On a river boat
The Chao Phraya at the end of the afternoon, noisy and crowded, is not good for reading — but it is good for listening. Read a page, look at the bank, come back. It is the truest way to cross this particular novel.
In a temple courtyard
Pick a secondary temple, not an attraction: a quiet courtyard, shade, benches. You read badly there, often interrupted, and yet those pages stay with you.
Practical information
Bring a paper copy rather than an e-reader: heat, humidity and screen glare make digital reading uncomfortable. Bring water. And do not read by the pool if you want to reach the end.
FAQ
How long to read the novel on site?
A week at two hours a day, which leaves time for the city.
Is the book available in Bangkok?
French version on the author’s site; English and Thai versions also available.
Do I need to have visited Bangkok first?
No. The novel works before, during and after.
Also read
The book
Mr Schaka lives with pulmonary fibrosis and has been travelling in Thailand for years. In The Season of Breath he tells the story of that journey, one step at a time, with humour and no self-pity.
