The Last Boat to Samui is a collection of short
stories written by William Peskett, a writer with an eclectic history
including reading Natural Sciences at Cambridge University and has gainfully
employed himself with teaching, marketing, journalism, corporate relations
and more. However, he now lives in Pattaya and was the author of “If you
can’t stand the fun, stay out of the go-go” which was reviewed a few
months ago.
This new book, The Last Boat to Samui (ISBN
978-616 91211-3-8, Bamboo Sinfonia publishers, 2012) introduces the reader
to a host of characters, most of whom are obviously an amalgam of real
people he has met while living in Pattaya. It may be called the ‘extreme
city’ but its ex-pat inhabitants can be fairly off the wall as well. Peskett
knows and shows this delightfully.
There is the fellow called Ken who when engaged in
conversation with the ladies of Beach Road adopts different personas. In the
book, this persona places him squarely in Latvia, a country to which he has
never been, and does not even know its capital. Why does Ken do this?
The four friends drinking in the bar beer who own
different pets, “Steve keeps dogs and Dave has tanks full of expensive coral
fish. Texas John has a snap in his wallet of the Labrador he left behind in
Nebraska. It wouldn’t surprise me if Dave had a photo of one of his sardines
in a locket around his neck. I’m joking, but only to show how soft these
boys can be.” And author Peskett has shown you too.
It is inevitable that a ladyboy would be incorporated in
one of the chapters, who shows all the petulance and chicanery of many of
his/her genre. You will have met her too.
Author Peskett describes the ex-pat life very well,
including references to real places to give the stories authenticity. He
also expresses the fact that all long-stay residents know you cannot
describe Pattaya life to people back home, as they do not believe you.
“…experiences so exotic they couldn’t ever be explained to the friends he’d
meet in Hubert’s Bar and Grill of Thursday afternoons in Nong’s bar beer on
Soi Buakhao, of undemanding conversation over a Tiger beer, of diving and
jungle and fried chicken and papaya salad on the beach. Fish sauce and
sticky rice and fried onion - these were things that couldn’t be explained.
You couldn’t explain the smell of Asia. He didn’t even want to try.”
At B. 395 it is not an expensive read and is a most
enjoyable book to consume over a weekend with a never-ending supply of G&T’s
at one’s elbow. I did enjoy the vignettes of ex-pat foibles taken to the
point of no return, as I am sure you will as well. I enjoyed this book much
more than the “If you can’t stand the fun, stay out of the go-go” and
author Peskett has countered the niggles I expressed six months ago. Well
worthwhile getting for the fun if nothing else, and to make sure you are not
in it.
