2. The last time I interviewed you, you mentioned that you play with “oppositions” in your books, such as contrary attitudes of Eastern vs. Western sexual mores. The most blatant (and provocative) opposition in this book–between love of (Sonchai/Chanya, Kimberley/Lek) and hatred for life (Damrong)—also has a sexual nexus. It seems no accident that the key female characters on the positive side of this (Kimberley, Chanya, Nong) are cast asexually in this book (save one between Chanya and Sonchai [182], there are no sex scenes involving them), as opposed to the barrage of Damrong’s X-rated video clips and anecdotes of her carnal exploits. Is sex good or evil in Sonchai’s world? Or is it merely a matter of perspective?

With respect, I think you are confusing two things: asexual characters and characters who do not have sex on stage, so to speak (the Oxford Dictionary definition of ‘asexual’: without sex, sexual organs or sexuality). The focus on Damrong’s sex life is of course deliberate, since that is the essence of her life and of the investigation. However, if you use a slightly more sensitive test, you will find that there are no asexual characters, although there are plenty who do not have sex on the page and some who live chaste lives (they all have internal sex lives, of course). As to the last part of your question, may I suggest you ask yourself why our culture expects something as fundamental as copulation to be either good or evil? Is eating good or evil, do you think? In Buddhism there is no good or evil as such, there are levels of ignorance ranging from the most dense to the almost enlightened. Sex has a different aspect, and a different function, at each level.

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