Gold by the Inch

Blurb

The novel is split into three sections.
The narrator is in Thailand visiting his younger brother, Luk, who works there as an architect. Thailand is the birthplace of the narrator’s mother. He ‘falls in love’ with Thong, a Thai prostitute, during his visit. The book tracks the narrator’s relationship with Thong. This relationship at first seems to be somewhat mutual but soon is clearly shown to be driven by money as Thong accepts every monetary gift doled out by the narrator. Thong eventually invites the narrator to live with him and his family instead of spending on expensive hotel rooms every night and it becomes evident that Thong is actually from a relatively wealthy family.
The narrator now leaves Thailand to visit family in Malaysia, the country in which his father was born. In this section, more information concerning the narrator’s childhood and family is revealed. For instance, the narrator’s father had a terrible relationship with his family in Malaysia as well as his own son and wife, whom he later left for an American woman.