At this year's Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF), Thai writer Thammika Songkaeo presented her newest novel, Stamford Hospital. Published in April of 2025, the book was not only selected by Prestige as one of the women empowerment books recommended to read on International Women’s Day, but also achieved the praise of Elle Singapore as "Dissecting motherhood, marriage, and the cost of selfhood with razor-sharp precision."
In an interview with Bastille Post, Thammika stated that she hopes to raise awareness among readers about the current plight of women through the rough patches of the protagonist, Tarisa, and the confined setting of the hospital in the novel.
Thammika Songkaeo, Photo by Bastille Post
Confined Hospital Space, Bound Women's Lives
Stamford Hospital centers on the life of Tarisa. Trapped in her marriage and emotionally estranged from her husband, she shares little intimacy with him beyond the common responsibilities of maintaining the family and raising their children. Her ambitions for the future have gradually been eroded by the increasing burden of housework and childcare. Highly educated, she had once hoped to create a world of her own, but the pressures and burdens of life slowly robbed her of the freedom to pursue her dreams, making her yearn for personal space amidst the daily grind of family care.
Stamford Hospital, Photo by Bastille Post
When her daughter Mia is hospitalized for a minor infection, Tarisa finally gets a brief reprieve from the constraints of motherhood, and Stamford Hospital, where the nurses tend to Mia with care, becomes a rare sanctuary for her. During Mia's hospitalization, Tarisa is no longer solely responsible for everything, enabling her to reflect on her previous life path and contemplate the meaning and value of family, kinship, and marriage to herself in the moments of burden relief.
Discussing the design of the character and setting in the novel, Thammika stated that she hopes to use the protagonist's rough patches and the confined hospital space to raise readers' awareness of the struggles faced by contemporary women.
In the story, Tarisa—despite being a well-educated woman—gradually finds herself caught between the dilemma of family and career stagnation within her marriage, feeling lost and uncertain about her future. In Thammika's view, such a protagonist setting was intended to show readers that behind the glamorous facade of women often lie untold struggles and confusion, which is now a common challenge faced by many women.
She hopes that through the character of Tarisa, female readers who share similar life experiences will feel that they are not alone in facing challenges in family and daily work. Others would also share the same situation, understand their difficulties, and stand with them in the arduous journey to find a way out of their predicaments.
As the story's setting, the hospital's confined space further highlights the oppressive nature of Tarisa's daily life. Thammika stated that as the three-day, two-night storyline unfolds within the hospital, Tarisa feels trapped in an inescapable cage, constantly confronting her inner confusion and fear, until she finally erupts with a long-suppressed struggle, reflecting on her situation within her marriage and family.
"Voice-First" Workshop: Unearthing the Unique Voice in Writing
At the HKILF this year, Thammika hosted a workshop titled "Voice-First", dedicated to helping literature enthusiasts find the unique "voice" of their own works.
Thammika at the HKILF this year, Photo source: Amara Communications
In her view, when crafting story plots, it would be easy for everyone to come up with similar tropes. To stand out in the highly competitive literary market, the key lies in the uniqueness of the work—that is, the ability of the words to convey the author's distinct values.
Thammika suggests that when writing a story, writers can try to listen to their inner voice, infusing their own insights and reflections on life into the text, allowing the characters to speak for them and convey their perspectives. "What truly moves readers is not the twists and turns of the plot, but the unique charm of the characters." According to Thammika, the charm is inseparable from the personal qualities the author imbues in their works. After all, techniques can be learned, and plots can be imitated, but a sincere and unique heart is always a rare resource in the literary world.
