Piper’s life took a turn after her mother died and her father married Cindy, his secretary. Working for USAID, Neil Piper is gone more than he is at their home in Arlington, Virginia. His absence forces Piper to deal with Cindy who, intent on becoming close to her stepdaughter, always seems to do the wrong thing.
Piper, 11, doesn’t totally understand what her father does working for USAID. The way he explains it, his job is a mission. “America has a moral obligation to help the poorer countries of the world, especially those threatened by communism,” he tells Piper, trying to enlist her support for a family move to Saigon. Yet even while they are packing, things change. Rather than Saigon, Neil is assigned to Bangkok. “It’s better than Saigon,” he tells his daughter. “Better schools, better shopping, more for you and Cindy to do. I’ll buy you the piano you want.”
Piper does want a piano, but is moving to Bangkok part of the deal? Cindy is ecstatic. Americans live well in Bangkok, with large homes and servants. Piper doesn’t care about any of that, but she does want to learn to play the piano.
By 1968, Piper, now 17, loves Bangkok. Their household help, Mai, is warm and maternal, making up for the aggressive, demanding attention she receives from Cindy. Her stepmother does come through on one front, however. Piper’s piano teacher resigns, telling Cindy that Piper won’t follow any of her instructions. Rather than admonish her stepdaughter, Cindy manages the impossible, convincing a prince to become Piper’s piano instructor.
Prince Suriwongse is not only a Thai prince, he’s studied in New York under the legendary Chilean pinist Claudio Arrau. After meeting Piper and hearing her play, he agrees to take her on as his only American student. Under his tutelage, Piper’s talent grows, and her relationship with Prince becomes an important one in her life.
Piper’s other relationship is with one of her classmates. Krissy Jorgenson and her brother, Lanny, grew up in Vientiane, Laos, where their parents worked as consultants. Two years ago, Krissy and Lanny were sent to Bangkok to complete their studies at the American-credited international school. Since their parents remained in Vientiane, an apartment and a weekly allowance was arranged for the two teenagers. Not surprising that Krissy and Lanny take advantage of their freedom.
Cindy and the other mothers are wary of Krissy. Piper, however, is bored with going to the Teen Club, where nothing much happens, so when Krissy invites her to a party in a questionable part of Bangkok, Piper agrees to go. Krissy quickly finds her boyfriend, Max, and leaves Piper to fend for herself. Initially embarrassed to be alone, Piper soon meets someone to talk with.
Daria Sommers
Jack is an America GI on R&R in Bangkok. After some initial miscues, she and Jack are soon having a deep conversation, sharing information Piper is often reluctant to give out. Jack, too, confesses that he lost his friend, Scoop, in a battle and blames himself for not being able to save him. Piper senses that Jack is someone she wants in her life. Events, however, have a way of intruding and whether that will happen is what keeps the pages turning.
Daria Sommers grew up in Bangkok and her recreation of the people, places, food, shrines, and events she encountered during those years are lovingly recreated in the this novel. Her descriptions bring alive the sights, sounds, and smells of a vibrant city that has survived and thrived.
The years the U.S. fought in Vietnam remains a dark part of our nation’s history. Many lies were told about why we fought this war that claimed so many lives. Sommers manages to weave these controversies into the story, especially where Piper’s father is concerned. Fighting communism was one goal, we were told, but many government agencies, along with those working for those agencies as consultants or contractors, had their own agendas. Many, ostensibly there to help the poor countries, got rich instead.
At its core, though, Sawadika American Girl is a love story about Piper and Jack, two young people who meet at a tumultuous, vulnerable time and are able to enjoy, for an important interval, an experience that would change them forever.
Sawadika American Girl
Daria Sommers
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