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Maya – Illusion

Maya - Illusion
Maya – Illusion

 

Behind The Smile

Maya – Illusion

Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand.

Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and get back to work until her kids had their own children and it would be her turn to stop working to take care of them.

One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya.

She went as a waitress-cum-cashier, but when she realised that she was pregnant by her worthless, estranged husband, things had to change. She had the baby, gave it to her mother to look after and went back to work. However, now she needed real money to provide a better life for her child and to make up for spending its whole youth 500 miles away. She drifted into the tourist sex industry.

The second book, ‘An Exciting Future’ followed straight on from the first one.

This book, book three, Maya – Illusion, picks up the story of Lek’s life six or seven years further on. At forty-ish, it is time to take stock of her life. She looks back over the years since since she first left home and wonders whether it was all worth it.

Should she feel bitter about what has happened to her or should she move on and try to forget her past?

Should she just try to erase it, whitewash it out, like so many women had done or should she feel proud of what she has accomplished?

Maya – Illusion shows Lek plagued by mixed emotions, trying to find an explanation that makes sense, one that she can live with for the rest of her life.

You can read more about Lek and her background on this book’s web page:

http://maya-illusion.com

where you can also buy it.

1 thought on “Maya – Illusion”

  1. I just found this customer review on Amazon – I love it 🙂

    Most Helpful Customer Reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic read 10/10 14 Aug 2013
    By Barry Biddiss
    Format: Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
    This is the 3rd book in the trilogy from behind the smile – the story of a bar girl from Pattaya, Owen Jones brings the story to life , with the happy, sad and worrying times of Craig and Lek, its a must read story that will immerse you into their lives, once again Owen has not failed to keep you reading and feeling a part of the everyday village life, for all the people who share love and the zest for Thailand and Thai people these books are a must read. I have never enjoyed a trilogy of books before so much and I can strongly recommend the stories of a bar girl called Lek from Pattaya. Now I am waiting for the 4th or 5th book from Owen 10/10

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