In 2012, Irish American author Patrick Maher joined the ranks of these unforgettable works with his novel Pleng’s Song. Maher comes from East Grand Rapids, Michigan, a small elitist community with a list of successful writers who extend from Jumanji’s Chris Van Allsburg, to American Pie’s Adam Herz, and Wall Street Journal’s Middle East Bureau Chief Bill Spindle.[break]
Set amongst the Great Thai Floods of 2011, Pleng’s Song follows the life of a lonesome 11-year-old girl whose wealthy parents abandon her just as floodwaters sweep into the capital of Bangkok. Pleng, the main character, is left to fight for her life and find a way to survive without the help of authority figures. The story, a small publication brought to life by the author’s experience with his classroom of 10-year-old students, quickly caught the eye of book critics for its inherent optimistic flowing narrative form. Written in a stark simplistic manner, the novel can be understood by young readers for its adventurous plot, but underneath the storyline is embedded a symbolic message that encourages readers to question their purposes and upbringings.
The story opens with the protagonist, Pleng getting caught by her principal for checking her iPhone in class. The principal, Miss Sinclair, calls Pleng to her office where she throws up. She detests school and calls it “a circus full of clowns and strange people who weren’t to be taken seriously.” Her general attitude largely stems from the lack of love from her family and she resorts to mischief; placing a thumbtack on the seat of her classmate B-Boy and laying the blame on another girl for the act. The story mostly jumps back and forth between her school and home. However, life takes on a different turn when floods hit her town and she finds herself in a desperate situation. She learns of her parents’ divorce and the hospitalization of her mother just as floods roll into Bangkok.
Pleng is stranded on top of an overturned truck with “vast landscape of water all” around her. Drifting away from her home, she somehow manages to swim to an island and survive on mangoes for 10 days. This trying circumstance tests her willpower and character, making her sensitive to how poorly she had been acting. She pledges to change herself and become a better person if she is able to survive her ordeal. This strengthens her resolve to return home, but Pleng is once again forced to struggle for her life when the water deepens and engulfs the island where she is surviving on fruits. She desperately swims and nearly dies from exhaustion before she finds her way to an abandoned fisherman’s house that she breaks into. Regaining her strength by using the homeowner’s belongings and eating his food, she is reborn with vigor. Before leaving the house, she graciously leaves a note that promises to pay for everything she has taken.
The story is of struggle, survival and finding one’s true self in difficult times. The author has beautifully instilled hope into the reader’s heart through Pleng’s struggles to overcome starvation and loneliness. Maher has also managed to bring out a compelling need to resort to the most primal of instincts to survive while battling hostile conditions. The protagonist struggles through many trying circumstances in a desperate need to return and prove the world that she is alive.
The core of the book is the story of the journey of a little girl when disasters strike and the impacts it has on her mind and spirit. The book, intended for young readers, has a simplistic narrative that has been well received by the international community. Young readers are able to quickly identify and relate to the protagonist. The book is an exceptional reading for young adults because it instills optimism, hope, and faith in humanity, and encourages them to be benevolent and good-hearted.
The writer is an architect by profession and an enthusiastic reader.
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