Thailand's answer to '50 Shades of Grey' Freedom's Choice is the second novel in a trilogy that describes how Thailand's political difficulties affect Bob and Jasmine; the first novel in this series was Justice, Please! In the present story they have returned to Thailand after a brief holiday in Australia. But problems of their recent past pull them apart, after which Bob meets an enticing street walker, Joy, in Pattaya. The ensuing months present many difficulties, with these only relieved somewhat by periodic visits to the temple at Phrathat Phanom.However, political tension is rising in Thailand by early 2010, with red shirt activists protesting for new elections, especially in Bangkok. Bob goes there to search for his wife, finding himself enmeshed in the events leading up to the riots that overwhelmed the city in May. He finds that he must take a stand and choose between his lover or his wife, while at the same time Thailand is being forced to choose between the colour-coded political options being shaped by red versus yellow shirt camps. Freedom's Choice presents him with choices between what he knows in his heart he must do, contrasted by what the forces of history are saying he should do. Which way will he choose to go, and what effect will it have on the politics he finds himself caught within?This book uses both humour and sexually charged liaisons to show how personal drama can influence the politics of the day. The story balances philosophy with action, love with lust and reality with fantasy, much as each of us does every day. But this time it's different, in that this story is larger than everyday life, showing how one person can make a difference to what seems like an impossible situation.
About the Author: Robert Hay has a Thai wife and has travelled often to Thailand over the past 7 years; as a university professor in Canada and Australia he lectured on Southeast Asia and the Pacific region and he is still an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University in Perth. He's been with the Western Australian State Government for the past 12 years and has also worked as a wildlife biologist, Army officer and travel agent in the past. After growing up in Canada and completing a B.A. and M.A. in Geography at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, he completed his Ph.D in New Zealand. He settled permanently in Perth 14 years ago and has three children. This is his second novel, continuing the saga of Bob and Jasmine in Southeast Asia.