Out of the seven books nominated as finalists, the SEA Write Organising Committee, which included the seven judges, unanimously voted in favour of “Family Comes First”, a book of short stories written by 37-year-old Narisapongse Rakwattananont and published by Salmon Publisher.
The judges said the reason for its triumph was that the book provoked readers into thinking about the problems embedded in the traditions of Thai-Chinese families, such as the issue of patriarchal masculinity.
The story’s characters, particularly the women, were held captive by outdated customs, and these customs, which once symbolised the warmth of the Chinese family, eventually “inflicted wounds upon family members,” they said.
They also noted that the author employed contemporary and diverse literary techniques, encompassing realism, magical realism, allegory, and especially, paratext, a style that few other authors use.
To clarify the concept of paratext, the judges explained that it involves the incorporation of elements beyond the written text within the book, adding that the book used extra components like colour and Chinese calligraphy illustrations to help explain the core story.
