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Laos, 1975. The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a seventy-two-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else: the rest of the educated class have fled.
He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants, but crafty and charming Dr. Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you.
It's a new genre--the magical mystery (and if you finished the sentence with "tour," stop reading and click here: go listen to the Beatles).
Dr. Siri, a member of the Communist Party for forty-seven years, has been made the first coroner in the new republic. We meet him sharing a case with a judge who has a talent for inappropriate mottos and is not "even bright enough for sarcasm." Dr. Siri, being twenty-two years past his normal lifespan, has reached a certain passivity in life that is about to be woken up by ghosts. The occult element is introduced well, first discovered in a history of vivid dreams, then appearing in that hazy time in between sleep and awakening, so neither Dr. Siri nor the reader are entirely certain what is real and what is imagined. However, the ghosts are leaving him with insight into their death, too coincidental to be entirely imagined. In a flashback we learn that Comrade Kham is the senior party member who told Siri of his new and reluctantly accepted position serving the Party, and the stage is set for danger when Kham's wife becomes his next coroner's case. Troubles only increase when he is brought a second body of a Vietnamese man who appears to have been tortured and drowned.
Dr. Siri is one of the more interesting narrators I've met in a long while. The author nicely captures the voice of a weary elderly person, but placing him in Communist Laos in the 1970s is sheer narrative genius. By following Siri through his duties, we're given insight into a society and time period most readers know little about. His irreverent thoughts about his political party, while full of affection for his people, is part of what makes reading so enjoyable. "If the truth were to be told, he was a heathen of a communist." We are never specifically told he is disaffected, but the wry tone makes it clear: "It was the authorities' gift to the people. They didn't want a single man, woman, or child to miss out on the heart-swelling pride that comes from resurfacing a road or dredging a stream."
The surrounding characters are entertaining as well, and while they could be a little more developed, they are fleshed out enough to be more than mere props. Dtui, the comic-reading nurse, and Geung, the assistant with Down's syndrome, are his morgue assistants, and prove to be invaluable allies as he attempts to solves the various cases. Their interactions bring enjoyable touches of humanity to Siri, as do his brainstorming sessions with the eccentric Comrade Civilai.
Overall, the style reminds me of [b:The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Volume 6|3518427|The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Volume 6|Alexander McCall Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327668588l/3518427._SX50_.jpg|44969211], without rose-colored glasses. There's acknowledgement of the brutality of revolution and of corruption within the system, but it's dealt with in a forthright manner and only enhances the mystery. In fact, one of the joys of the book is how Siri manipulates the system, demonstrates compassion and fixes a number of injustices. The writing is atmospheric without drowning in description, and has something of poetry about it. If you are a fan of the character-driven mystery, I enthusiastically recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next installments in the series, and even re-reading this one.
Best character summation ever: "There was nothing fake or added about him. He was all himself."
Most apt description of memory failure: "He put his hand on his forehead and scoured the French department of his memory for a word. He knew it was in there. He'd put it in almost fifty years before and hadn't had cause to remove it. But for the life of him he couldn't find it."
I can recommend this one for its interesting setting: Laos just after the Communist takeover. The protagonist is loveable. He is an elderly doctor who is roped in to being the Chief Coroner. Good supporting cast. I hesitated to give four stars (am keeping five for the ones that knocked it out of the park) because it does have a deep streak of mysticism running through it and I am most definitely not a fan. But it actually worked and I was able to choke it down. ( )
I loved being transported to a faraway place in a time some 40 odd years ago. I loved the Dr and his support staff at the morgue. Sincerely the most enjoyable read in quite a while. I will definitely read more by this author and especially other books with the same characters. ( )
With the kindest thanks and lots of love to the following folks: Pornsawan, Bouasawan, Chantavone, Sounieng, Ketkaew, Dr Pongruk, Bounlan, Don, Souk, Soun, Michael and his secretary, Somdee, David L., Nok, Dtee, Siri, Yayoi and Steph.
First words
Tran, Tran, and Hok broke through the heavy end-of-wet-season clouds.
Quotations
Most of the results from Siri’s morgue relied on archaic color tests: combinations of chemicals or litmus samples. These were more suitable for telling what wasn’t, rather than what was.
We, my children, are no longer common coroners. We are investigators of death.
He couldn’t imagine why old men would chase new-hatched chicks when there were pretty hens in the yard.
Nguyen Hong changed, Siri put together his carbon copy of the autopsy report. Then the two set off for a real coroner's lunch in the canteen. Given the topic of their conversation, they were guaranteed a table to themselves. (p. 94)
They looked out at the sleek white tern flying a foot from the surface of the river. It swooped down for a fish, thrust its beak in too deep, and crashed, somersaulting with the current.
I bet that hurt.
The battered tern, its feathers flustered, broke triumphantly through the surface of the water with the fish in its beak. The two old friends put down their plastic cups and applauded. (p. 95)
"When we cut down a tree for our huts, or to make space to plant crops, we ask for permission from the tree spirits. We make offerings, sacrifices sometimes, as our own shaman sees fit. Usually, the spirits will move on without blaming us. After all, we have to live together, share what resources we have. That's the way it has always been.
"Some of the trees in these parts are as old as the land itself. The spirits have become powerful here. When the soldiers came, they didn't ask permission. They didn't show any respect. They didn't sacrifice a buffalo or consult a shaman. They just started cutting. And they cut and cut and hauled the timber away in trucks. They cut hundreds, thousands of trees.
"Can you imagine? Even the most benevolent spirits have become evil. They all seek revenge." [Tshaj, Hmong headman] (p. 140)
Socialism is a great cosmos, but trust is the atmosphere that holds the stars together.
"I'm sneaking in to the embassy this afternoon when all the dignitaries are at the reception. You people are never short of receptions, are you?"
"That's why it's called the Communist 'Party', and not the Communist 'sit down and get some work done'."
Last words
As soon as he opened the lid, his smile faded. Whatever joy that had surrounded them vanished like incense smoke. Lying in the box, like a charred corpse in a coffin, was the black prism on its leather thong. Not some other black prism, the one worn smooth from years of hands. The one that had been destroyed and scattered on the land in Khamuan.
"Given the bad luck you've been having lately, I figured you could use a lucky charm. Like it?"
Laos, 1975. The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a seventy-two-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else: the rest of the educated class have fled.
He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants, but crafty and charming Dr. Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you.
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Dr. Siri, a member of the Communist Party for forty-seven years, has been made the first coroner in the new republic. We meet him sharing a case with a judge who has a talent for inappropriate mottos and is not "even bright enough for sarcasm." Dr. Siri, being twenty-two years past his normal lifespan, has reached a certain passivity in life that is about to be woken up by ghosts. The occult element is introduced well, first discovered in a history of vivid dreams, then appearing in that hazy time in between sleep and awakening, so neither Dr. Siri nor the reader are entirely certain what is real and what is imagined. However, the ghosts are leaving him with insight into their death, too coincidental to be entirely imagined. In a flashback we learn that Comrade Kham is the senior party member who told Siri of his new and reluctantly accepted position serving the Party, and the stage is set for danger when Kham's wife becomes his next coroner's case. Troubles only increase when he is brought a second body of a Vietnamese man who appears to have been tortured and drowned.
Dr. Siri is one of the more interesting narrators I've met in a long while. The author nicely captures the voice of a weary elderly person, but placing him in Communist Laos in the 1970s is sheer narrative genius. By following Siri through his duties, we're given insight into a society and time period most readers know little about. His irreverent thoughts about his political party, while full of affection for his people, is part of what makes reading so enjoyable. "If the truth were to be told, he was a heathen of a communist." We are never specifically told he is disaffected, but the wry tone makes it clear: "It was the authorities' gift to the people. They didn't want a single man, woman, or child to miss out on the heart-swelling pride that comes from resurfacing a road or dredging a stream."
The surrounding characters are entertaining as well, and while they could be a little more developed, they are fleshed out enough to be more than mere props. Dtui, the comic-reading nurse, and Geung, the assistant with Down's syndrome, are his morgue assistants, and prove to be invaluable allies as he attempts to solves the various cases. Their interactions bring enjoyable touches of humanity to Siri, as do his brainstorming sessions with the eccentric Comrade Civilai.
Overall, the style reminds me of [b:The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Volume 6|3518427|The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Volume 6|Alexander McCall Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327668588l/3518427._SX50_.jpg|44969211], without rose-colored glasses. There's acknowledgement of the brutality of revolution and of corruption within the system, but it's dealt with in a forthright manner and only enhances the mystery. In fact, one of the joys of the book is how Siri manipulates the system, demonstrates compassion and fixes a number of injustices. The writing is atmospheric without drowning in description, and has something of poetry about it. If you are a fan of the character-driven mystery, I enthusiastically recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next installments in the series, and even re-reading this one.
Best character summation ever:
"There was nothing fake or added about him. He was all himself."
Most apt description of memory failure:
"He put his hand on his forehead and scoured the French department of his memory for a word. He knew it was in there. He'd put it in almost fifty years before and hadn't had cause to remove it. But for the life of him he couldn't find it."
Four elderly stars.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/the-coroners-lunch-dr-siri-1-by-colin-... (