VENOM by Saneh Sangsuk

Translated by Mui Poopoksakul

I travel for books and food. Not always in that order. So when I recently visited Bangkok, I cleaned the local vendors of all their pad ped pla duk (IYKYK), then waddled into the local bookstore and made a beeline for the Thai lit section. Saneh Sangsuk is a name that loomed large. A national treasure, he writes the kind of books I love most - fables steeped in tradition with modern undertones. Set largely in a fictional version of his hometown, they explore clashes of culture, political shenanigans and the changing national identity in a way that leans knowingly into classic Thai storytelling.

In Venom, a boy takes on the corrupt magical quack who rules his family’s village. The kid is an unlikely hero - he’s physically crippled, socially outcast and generally a bit hopeless. Early in his rebellion, he is attacked by a giant cobra. It wraps itself around him while he grips its neck to stop it biting him. The rest of the book deals with their struggle: man versus beast, captivity versus freedom, superstition versus reason. The allegory might be a little heavy handed, but it’s bloody exciting. And the ending, perfect. A thrilling cautionary tale.

Venom by Saneh Sangsuk (Tr. Mui Poopoksakul)
Peirene, 2023
95 pages