In a Country with No Name

In a Country with No Name by Ron Morris follows Bert Mars, a young English teacher in Bangkok who abandons his teaching job for what he believes is a glamorous opportunity with CLB, a television network owned by Thai tycoon Chiang. Transferred to an unnamed neighboring country, Bert becomes entangled in a conspiracy to overthrow Prime Minister Thaw Kai after a business dispute over broadcasting rights. Recruited into Chiang’s inner circle, Bert helps install communications equipment for a coup attempt. The operation fails catastrophically when they discover Thaw Kai has already evacuated his compound. In the ensuing chaos, Bert kills several people, barely escapes with his life, and flees back to Bangkok, where he returns to his old teaching position, psychologically damaged and haunted by his actions. Can he live with what he has done?

Ron Morris delivers a compelling cast of morally ambiguous characters wading through the treacherous waters of Southeast Asian politics and business in the 1990s. Bert is the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a Western opportunist whose ambition blinds him to the consequences of his actions. Supporting characters like the enigmatic Mike, the fierce Gurkha bodyguard Ganju, and Bert's possibly duplicitous girlfriend Rangsei are well-developed, offering insights into cultural collision. I loved how this author explored the Western imperialism disguised as entrepreneurship, the corrupting nature of power, and the illusion of adventure in foreign lands. Set against the humid backdrop of Bangkok and an unnamed authoritarian state, Morris vividly captures the region's atmosphere—the bustling markets, oppressive heat, and ever-present tension between tradition and modernity. The unnamed country itself becomes a character, representing how Westerners often view foreign lands as interchangeable playgrounds for their ambitions. In a Country with No Name is a gritty, unflinching examination of what happens when naive ambition meets ruthless reality.