What if the Righteous Fails? What becomes of the Dreams?

The Old Man and the Sea, Moby-Dick, Life of Pi – these are some of the novels you might have read. Man vs Nature and Man vs Wild tales have always entertained, excited and inspired us. In Venom, things have gotten far worse though – the confrontation is more headlong, real and inescapable. 

A ten-year-old boy from Praeknamdang (a fictional village that appears in Sangsuk's work), with an atrophied right arm, dreams of becoming a shadow puppeteer. During the day, he takes his beloved oxen (whom he has even named) to the grazing field. He mimics the performances of shadow puppeteers and performs for his friends – he is able to recite numerous songs, poems, and gags from different shadow plays by heart.

But who can hold grudge against this boy?

Claiming a spiritual connection to the Patron Goddess of Praeknamdang, Song Waad holds considerable sway in the village. He has captured lands, ponds, and people fear or revere him. But the boy and his family are quite the contrary; they think he's a conman or treat him with indifference. Song Waad harbors hatred toward the boy and his family, especially after an event, and even calls the boy "Gimp."

The boy with the bad arm headed towards the big trees that lined the pond on the shrine side. Like an invitation, the fresh, moist air from the water and surrounding trees wafted over to him. He felt as though he were being drawn into a sanctuary of calm the nearer he went. The only sounds came from the wind brushing through the trees, from the bamboo creaking as its culms rubbed together, or from the hiss of rustling leaves. On the ground, dry leaves from that same bamboo lay scattered; beside them, there was nothing but the remains of a tamarind tree, about two armspans in girth, lying fallen and bare and rotting among the brown foliage. The boy sat down on the base of that dead tree and regarded the shrine for a while.

Away from this silent feud, and less concerned with the rich imagination and aspirations of the unnamed village boy, a snake lurks in the field.

The struggle in the story begins when the two entities – the boy and the king cobra – confront each other, yet are unable to kill one another: one, not with its venom; the other, not with his tiny grip. The snake coils around the boy, who can barely keep the reptile’s head away from his body – its fangs pausing a hair’s breadth from sinking into his throat. The story moves as the boy, bearing the weight and clutch of the snake takes a journey back to his village to get help. The raw description of the setting makes thing palpable.

The curious stories of confrontation and revenge involving snakes told to the boy, the vivid descriptions of the snake’s body and movements, the boy’s inner thoughts as the two forces struggle to outdo each other, and the evocative portrayal of the environment all contribute to the story’s simple and classic style of story-telling.

The giant snake was exceedingly close to him. He’d never imagined his face and a snake’s would ever be within such an intimate distance. There had been no portents: not in waking life, not in a dream. Where was its heart? Why couldn’t he feel its heartbeat at all? What colour might its venom be? White like milk or yellow like amber?

The other characters in the story – the boy's father, mother, Grannie Pluppleung, the midwife, and Luang Paw Tien – are either mentioned in passing or make only brief appearances. Since this is a short novella, the characters aren’t fully developed, yet their presence still carries weight.

The story centers on the snake and its host, who refuses to give in. But for how long? Will there be a close shave with life-and-death situation? Seems to be, but how? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Innocence, superstition, love, aspiration, a slice of village life, and the cost of hope – these are some of the key elements of the story. Not to mention, the passing moments of time and vivid physical descriptions are rendered so well that the story remains gripping until the very end. As we wait for the boy to escape the clutches of death, we become both engaged and unsettled by this tale of innocence, struggle, and absence. The ending is dramatic, tragic, beautiful, yet dark. What if the righteous fails? What becomes of the dreams? I was left with these questions. Yours might be different.

To sum up: Venom is a short but engaging read.

Mui Poopoksakul has done a fantastic job translating.

Original Text: Thai
Translator: Mui Poopoksakul
Publisher: Deep Vellum https://store.deepvellum.org/products/venom

Source: Review Copy from the Publisher

Coming Soon...

Moving Parts
by Prabda Yoon
Translated from the Thai by Mui Poopoksakul

We Drew Heaven

Kampol Changsamran (Bright), a five-year-old boy has been left at the mercy of his neighbors. His parents have separated, and now living with his members of tenement complex, hopping from one to the next, he discovers the adult world around him, tries to understand and absorb it, and also ventures on all the childhood adventures. Kampol's world is set around Mrs. Tongjan’s Community. It is world of mostly working class tenants, who have ups and downs in their family, but still have adapted to the way of the world. In the midst of his friends and adults Kampol has found a way to live by. He's brave at heart but also tender by nature, and while longing for his parents he's grown emotional intelligence of an adult. 

“You can’t… You’re better off here—there are compas

sionate people who’ll help you. You’ll find a place to eat and

sleep. It’s just two more days. Do you understand?”

In this urban tale, we observe elements of child psychology, problems of working class, joys of childhood, and all are imbued with humor. Each chapter is like a full-fledged story on its own, and is backed by social realism. Sometimes we read it as a social drama, and at other times it crosses the boundary and we appreciate it for pure story telling. Kampol's adventurous fate often ends with a saddening unfold, but new chapters brings forth lively story and keep things going. Characters are unique, but we quickly feel attached to them because Kampol's new world cannot do without them. He does small chores and runs for them, but manages time for his friends Jua and Oan. 

He combed the whole area again: neither of his parents were

anywhere to be found.

The street was empty. Everybody else had gone home.

Neighbors have developed compassion for little Kampol who tries to lift the burden of being left alone by his parents. There is lot of introspection taken care of, and details are never off the track. Lives of Kampol's neighbor also look like they are interconnected. We find things extremely funny, but they also have subtle undertone of sadness, which we feel for Kampol who wishes things to go back and become normal. Very early in his life he has understood the meaning of Hunger. We are surprised by how adult world is taken by the children. It is a coming-of-age novel that has a unique way of telling stories.

I got really fed up and found myself a toy I could play with alone.”

“What was your toy? What did you play?”

“My toy…my toy was books. Books can be fun and you

don’t need anybody to play.”

We follow Kampol and his friends around, because they keep moving, for they always have something in their mind. Lives of children and adults have profusely mixed together, and we see their world in turns. They devise ways to be happy, and also have learned to adapt to their fate. Childhood excursion and fantasies, the innocence of ordinary lives and societal ways of dealings with everyday problems of contemporary life holds the story together. The story is about KAMPOL, and KAMPOL is living it.

Author: Duanwad Pimwana
Translator: Mui Poopoksakul
Publisher: Two Lines Press
Page Count: 184
Price: $16.34 (Paperback)