In the drizzle, she lamented, Where can I find you, Pran? And he said, Rantau Panjang, as he purchased a ticket at a station. When Pran mumbled to himself on a starless night, How are you doing, Charee? She said, I’m fine, smiling at a porter who had helped carry her small bag as she walked away. When she mentioned in passing to a stranger in the next seat, It’s hot today, Pran said, Have some water, to a worker who looked like he was going to faint from the heat. And when he asked the stars before going to sleep, To forget – is that all you’re asking of me? Chareeya whispered to the wind, Don’t forget me, please, don’t ever forget me.

The Blind Earthworm is a beautiful and rhythmic book that follows, in a non-linear way, the life of two sisters, Chareeya and Chalika, and their childhood friend Pran, who live in a riverside town near Bangkok.

The sisters’ early years are determined by their parents’ disillusions and frustrations, living in a sad and silent house, which prompts them to create their private magic world. Once they meet Pran, the girls welcome him to their dream-like reality. They spend some happy years running around lush gardens, swimming in fish-filled rivers, eating food from around the world, listening to classical music, and visiting temples with Uncle Thanit. As they grow older, their lives together detach and link again in various episodes, following their own stories, love interests, and goals. However, their dream-like reality becomes more like a nightmare, they still have what they had in their childhood -lush vegetation, a multitude of flavors, textures, and sounds- but it’s not enough: Charee, Lika, and Pran end up being so lonely and yearning for love that it is painful.

The Blind Earthworm was not an easy read, and it took me ages to finish, but I truly enjoyed it. Every word and every detail of the book seems to be perfectly thought of to be in tune: the cover, the name of each chapter, and the accompanying playlist (there’s one!!). The writing is beautiful and slow-paced, full of descriptions of plants, songs, dishes, and textures. Nitiprapha’s characters feel so much sometimes it was exhausting reading more than a few pages in one sitting – she transmits these feelings in such a realistic way-. And, in between the main story, multiple lovely short stories that seem to lead nowhere fill the pages. I also enjoyed, that, while the book is character-focused and fever-dreamlike, there are glimpses of a rapidly changing Bangkok and Thai culture in the background. It’s definitely worth the read.

PS. I’m glad to be back, I had a complicated relationship with books in the past year, but I’m back. Also, I’m going to Bangkok soon, and I am excited to try many dishes and visit many places I read about in the book. I’ll actually try visiting the riverside town.

About Veeraporn Nitiprapha

Veeraporn Nitiprapha was born in Bangkok in 1962. She started writing and publishing short stories and poems when she was a teenager. She’s worked in the advertising industry and as a jewelry designer, but she’s now fully dedicated to writing. The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth won the South East Asian Write Award.

Other Books Written by Thai women:

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Thai initiatives and projects that support and empower girls and women

Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities Centre in the Greater Mekong Subregion (DEPDC/GMS) 

DEPDC/GMS is a  community-based organization that works primarily to prevent and protect children and youth from being trafficked into exploitative labor conditions. It provides crucial preventative measures of education, vocational and life-skills training, protection and accommodation, family and community outreach services, and leadership development to at-risk children and youth in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. The program focuses its work on girls (but works with all children) since they are more vulnerable to human trafficking. In 2017, it won the UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education.