A Stranger in His Own Town

“A Stranger in His Own Town” was written to reflect social prejudice against children of the author’s folks who left their villages to seek higher education in the capital or elsewhere but who failed to complete their studies or to secure a good job, especially in the government service. Upon returning home to visit their parents in the countryside, they faced untold mental suffering stemming from their neighbors’ gossip and sarcastic comments that added salt to the wound.
This short novel exposes Thai social attitudes toward people who wanted to set themselves free from the evil bondage of financial slavery passed down from older generations, but who ended up being admired or humiliated. It depended on their luck and strong determination against the odds. The cycle of debt continued to trap the new generations from the minute of their birth and, possibly, to their death. Without capital to invest, they opted for higher education that would bring them a better life. It is the only alternative children from poor farming families can choose. Otherwise, a low-paying job in the capital could help save the face of their parents who dared to allocate some hard-earned money to invest in their children’s education. In a worst-case scenario, the girls decided to enter sex services so as to survive in the city rather than returning home to face humiliation while boys are lured to the dark world.