My favorite part of "The Mango Tree Cafe, Loi Kroh Road"

I have to admit, I like the entire book! But, if I were hard pressed, I have some sections that I could read over and over without getting tired of it.


I remember that the opening of the book was rewritten at LEAST 10 times; all with different ideas in each one. At one point, I was stumped and decided to reread other sections of the book. Mainly, the end. It reminded me of the circle of life and how we all grapple with the uncertainties and changes we go through as individuals. I reread the ending and as I always do, tears slid down my cheeks as I could feel the heartbreak that "Larry," the main character experiences. It's more than a story about the love of your life...it's about something so deep and personal that your soul aches and you aren't quite certain why.

Once I read the last word on page 286, I turned to the beginning of the story and prepared to weave the circle to be complete. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that I was sitting in a cane chair beside Larry watching the elephants in the early morning sun right outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. In my imagination, I stole long sided glances observing his body language and feeling the ache of his soul. I wrote the beginning and knew I had finally gotten it right.

I emailed it to Alan (as I always do) for his opinion. I waited as my cursor blinked impatiently on my computer screen. Finally, he responded with a one word reply; "Fine',"which is found at the end of the last stanza of every sheet of music. The meaning? FINISHED.

Cheers-

1 author, Simpson