Significance of water

Water functions both as a threat and aid to humans in the novel. During the early twenty-first century, rain and floods destroy several buildings in the city and cause considerable chaos and displacement. Years later, Bangkok sinks, submerged by excessive precipitation and rising sea levels.

This being said, water acts as a haven too. When Nee flees the Thai military, she takes refuge in the water, swimming for hours to avoid detection and aggression. It should also be noted, that crocodiles that had been kept captive are liberated from their farms by floodwater.