Thai Score

[kurtz]

I started reading novel Thai Score by lawrence Block. I really love his detective novels and in fact he lived next door to me in New York City. Matt Scudder novels are best New York City detective novels there are. However, he has written this novel about Thailoand and it is pretty lame. I do not think he has ever been here, it is so inaccurate. In book, he says morning and tomorrow is same word in thai language, which is not true. he says all the opium here comes from red China, but in fact it comes from Burma. Thai people in novel call themselves Siamese, which they never do anymore. The tea they serve in book is very strong, when in fact it is always weak here. On top of that somehow Evan Tanner, the main character, speaks fluent Thai somehow, even though he says he has never been to Asia. And I have only read 50 pages of this epic, so I do not hold much hope it will get better.

I think Lawrence Block should stick to New York City.

[kurtz]

I should not accuse writer of being inaccurate. I could not even get title of book right. It is really The Scoreless Thai.

[SueK]

This is one of my pet hates, Kurtz, when authors can't be bothered to research the places they write about. I suppose he thought setting his book in Thailand would be exotic and quite different. I've found authors (unfortunately American ones - sorry ) who write about things in England that seem to come out of a fairy tale. Chris Kuznetski is one - he makes up a lot of stuff about UK because he can't be bothered to research properly .... and then he makes a fortune from his awful books.

 

I'm amazed that the main character in the book you mention can speak fluent Thai - clever man. It took me ages to learn to speak the language and I still can't read it. I still get the tones wrong sometimes

Edited March 29, 2011 by SueK

[Easy Reader]

I think you should try and contact him (maybe through an offical website) and let him know that his lack of research spoiled your enjoyment of the book as I am sure you are not the only one who has noticed and it may encourage him to do better research in the future.

 

I've found authors (unfortunately American ones - sorry ) who write about things in England that seem to come out of a fairy tale.

 

I can't say I have noticed it in books, but then I don't tend to read many American authors, but it does annoy me on American tv shows and films where "English" characters speak either like the Queen or someone from Rolling Stones and Big Ben is always in the background no matter where it is set.

[kurtz]

It gets worse. I know Sue you will see how screwed up this is. They are in northern Thailand, yet speak khmer. Then they go to Laos, which in book they say is northwest of northern Thailand, which if he even looked at a map would see that it is northeast. Then they go to Laos, and though guy speaks fluent Thai, he cannot communicate with Laos people, even though as you know they are almost same language. My wife's father is from Thailand and her mother is from Laos, and they communicated fine.

 

Here is an ironic thing easyreader. Very coincidental. In past I did spend many years trying to communicate with this writer, and finally managed to speak with him. The reason is the novel he wrote called Eight Million Ways to Die. As I said, I used to live next door to Mr. Block. I am also a former private investigator, now retired. However one of my cases was similar to the plot of the novel. I thought maybe I had told him this story, and he used it in the novel. We used to go to same bar, and since in those days I was often drunk, I thought I had told it to him, and wanted to ask him so I tried to contact him but for years was unable to. Then finally a lady I knew who owned bookstore phoned me and said he was coming to her shop for booksigning. I went there and asked him, and he assured me he did not get idea from me. I believe him as the stories are similar, but not identical. he is very nice man and signed book for me.

[SueK]

It gets worse. I know Sue you will see how screwed up this is. They are in northern Thailand, yet speak khmer. Then they go to Laos, which in book they say is northwest of northern Thailand, which if he even looked at a map would see that it is northeast. Then they go to Laos, and though guy speaks fluent Thai, he cannot communicate with Laos people, even though as you know they are almost same language. My wife's father is from Thailand and her mother is from Laos, and they communicated fine.

 

 

 

As you say, that is just bad. He couldn't even be bothered to look up the country's demographics before plotting his book. Even I can understand Lao because they speak slower than Thais

[kurtz]

Yes Sue that is true. They do speak slower. The fact is though that this book is basically very good plot and interesting story. If it were not for these details I would really enjoy this book, and I suppose it should not bother me as it is just fiction. However for some reason I find it difficult to overlook these inaccuracies, not only about Thailand but other subjects as well.

[kurtz]

Finally finished this book, thank goodness. There is afterword written by author in which he admits never having been to Thailand, so this explains much. But not everything. Tanner, the hero, wants to disguise himself as Thai man so he puts tobacco on his face to make his skin yellow. Then he shaves his beard, but cannot figure out what to do about his blonde hair since he has no shoe polish. Why didn't he shave his hair off? Then he actually manages to fool all the Thais and Laotians into believing he is native with the tobacco and by squinting his eyes. He learned Thai with some language tapes apparently so well that everyone in Southeast Asia believed Thai was his native language. Not only has this writer never been to Thailand, but apparently he was never in the army, as he shoots down a fighter jet with a tank cannon. This book is called Scoreless Thai, but is written by Clueless Writer.

[Easy Reader]

Then he actually manages to fool all the Thais and Laotians into believing he is native with the tobacco and by squinting his eyes. He learned Thai with some language tapes apparently so well that everyone in Southeast Asia believed Thai was his native language.

 

Perhaps they were just being polite they could see the efforts he had gone to to fit in so didn't think it appropriate to point out his mistakes.

 

I am almost tempted to read this as you have made it sound so comical but I fear I wouldn't notice the inaccuracies.

[kurtz]

Actually if you can overlook the mistakes it probably is an enjoyable story.It is one of a series about Evan Tanner, who is a thief who becomes a spy and who never sleeps because sleep center in his brain was damaged in Korean War. If you like Matt Helm novels, or maybe Mickey Spillane, you will probably enjoy these also.