Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap is a remarkable debut collection of short stories. Born in the U.S., raised in Bangkok, and educated at Cornell and the University of Michigan, Rattawut brings a unique, bicultural perspective to his writing. His prose is clear, concise, and emotionally powerful. What stands out most is his ability to create vivid, complex characters in just a few pages.
The book opens with “Farangs,” a story that I think every foreigner living in Thailand should read. It looks at how Thai people often see Westerners, especially white Westerners, and while of course it’s not fair to generalize, the story captures some of the real cultural misunderstandings and tensions that exist. It’s smart, funny, and a little uncomfortable in all the right ways.
One story that really stayed with me is “Priscilla the Cambodian.” It’s about a young Cambodian girl and her mother living in an informal, illegal settlement in Bangkok, along with other Cambodian families. The narrator is a Thai boy who slowly becomes friends with Priscilla. At first, he sees her and the other Cambodians through a lens of prejudice and rumor, but as their friendship grows, he learns about the hardship and trauma that many Cambodians have faced, having been violently uprooted from their home country.
The story builds to a heartbreaking climax when the Thai neighbors, drunk and furious, burn down the Cambodian settlement. The next day, the boy visits Priscilla and her mother. Surprisingly, they are not outwardly angry or devastated. Instead, they seem resigned, as if they had expected this would happen eventually. They’re ready to leave.
The final scene is where the story really hit me. The boy rides his bike aimlessly, upset and unsure what to do. He ends up at a noodle shop, needing to use the bathroom. But when he tries to go in, the owner shouts at him, saying the bathroom isn’t for public use and even threatens to beat him if he doesn’t leave. It’s a small moment, but it echoes everything that just happened to Priscilla and her mother, the feeling of being unwanted, pushed out, treated like a problem.
Rattawut handles this parallel so subtly that you almost don’t notice it at first, but when it hits, it hits hard. It’s one of those endings that stays with you long after you’ve finished the story.
Overall, Sightseeing is beautifully written, full of empathy, and deeply human. If you’re looking for something short, smart, and emotionally honest, this book is more than worth your time.