The Thai award-winning detective novel Kaholmahoratuek is that rare breed: a page-turner set in the 1940s that mixes poetry, history, murder and revenge. The book's appeal also lies with the writer's use of genre elements -- serial murders, cryptic clues and detective work -- in the vintage setting of old Bangkok where century-old temples, back alleys and local communities become grisly crime scenes.
Kaholmahoratuek follows a policeman in his quest to uncover the secrets behind cases of strange murders and assaults in which the victims are tattooed with five separate words. It is revealed later that these words can be arranged to read as a poem. Its popularity has prompted a TV series adaptation, which premiered last Monday on Channel One 31.
Chairat Pipitpattanaprap, the writer who goes by the pen-name Prapt, said he spent just three months writing this novel, which earned him the nickname the "Dan Brown of Siam".
"It all began with poetry," said Chairat of the novel's origin. "I was listening to this radio scoop about kon kloeng, which is about rearranging words in a poem into diagrams instead of writing them out normally. To me, that is like hiding a secret code. And they say there are inscriptions of kon kloeng on display at Wat Pho. That actually made me think of Dan Brown and how he related real locations with the secrets behind images."
Believing it would make good material for a crime novel, Chairat took up researching and started writing the story out in order to submit it in time for literature's Nai In Award 2014 -- a competition he eventually won. Kaholmahoratuek was praised for its complexity, thrilling atmosphere set in Thai culture, and clever play with words and poetry. It has also become a bestseller.
For his research, the writer visited real locations in the old-town neighbourhoods to gain inspiration and better knowledge of the places. Recently, a group of fans joined the author as he traced back his steps in the Phra Nakhon and Thon Buri areas, weaving through small sois, riverside walkways by the Chao Phraya, and perennial Thai and Chinese temples as his characters do in the novel.
"On that first walk, I came here imagining myself as the killer in the story," laughed Chairat. "I was observing different passages I could use as a getaway route."
Some of the locations the group visited included Wang Doem community, Kian Un Keng Shrine, Wat Pho and more. The tour also included an old bakery that makes kanom farang kudee jeen -- baked goods of Portuguese descent made from flour, egg and sugar -- which is a famous product of this community. A case in Kaholmahoratuek talks of the traditional round oven that is used to bake these cakes, with the author eventually choosing a bakery to be one of his crime scenes.
Chairat feels that featuring these iconic yet hidden treasures of old Bangkok in his novel could help in sparking public interest in tourism and conservation of vintage architecture in the area.
"I've had several readers telling me they've visited these places that I used in the novel. And those who live near the locations said it was like they made a discovery about their own hometown, and that they feel even more connected both with the book and the places," said Chairat.
"People don't really know much about these places at all. And I feel that, if I can get them to know about it and be 'wowed' like the first time I came to Wat Pho -- that there is more to it than just the big Buddha and massages. There are also inscriptions of poems, and sculptures and rocks with stories. Even for the readers to feel like wanting to visit these places at all, I think that's a success for me."
Aside from boosting interest in old Bangkok, Chairat also hopes his novel and the TV series could help open up the crime fiction genre within the country. He feels the space for this particular genre, at this point, is quite limited as it is mostly tied to either ghost or love stories, but rarely a full-fledged detective novel on its own.
"Thai readers sometimes are not really open to crime and detective novels written by Thai writers as they feel we can't really compete with Western, Chinese or Japanese writers in this genre. And when readers feel that, publishers don't dare to publish the works for fear that nobody would buy them. If publishers don't accept these works, writers soon stop writing and instead focus on other genre," he said. "It's a vicious cycle."
The author agrees there will always be people making comparisons, adding that even fellow writers are finding it difficult to break this genre into the mainstream market. And he hopes that, with the airing of the TV series, it would bring about people's enthusiasm and faith -- not only in crime novels, but also in Thai lakorn as it is exploring its own new territory of crime fiction.
Adapting written words into moving images can be a challenge. And Chairat admitted he is also curious how everything will turn out. Still, he is not worried about people criticising and comparing how one is better than the other.
"Novels and lakorn are a different form of art," the author acknowledged. "And the limitation that comes with this book is clear -- whether it's about rating or violence -- that what is being shown on television isn't going to be 100% like the book. The team may adapt, cut or add some scenes as they see fit and that is natural."
Chairat said he is open to differences that would come in this new version of his story.
"If the TV version is 100% like the book, then how is it going to be interesting for those who've read it before?"
Kaholmahoratuek airs weekly on Monday and Tuesday on Channel One 31 at 9.20pm.
