The Rent Collector

My mother-in-law gave us The Rent Collector, written by Camron Wright, for Christmas. The story is set in Cambodia, in a dump called Stung Meanchy, where the residents of the dump pick trash every day for a living, selling plastic, aluminum, and other elements of value to buy rice.  They actually have to pay rent for the shacks that they live in.

Though I found the characters' traits inconsistent throughout the book, I believe the story to be beautiful.  While the premise rests on one girl's journey toward literacy, richer threads about atonement, struggle, hope, and truth really color the story.

I've already shared some thoughts about this book, found {here}, but I want to share a few more.

Sopeap Sin, a drunken bitter old lady, is teaching Sang Ly, a peasant, to read.  Here, she is teaching about stories:

"Our trials, our troubles, our demons, our angels--we reenact them because these stories explain our lives.  Literature's lessons repeat because they echo from deeper places.  They touch a chord in our soul because they're notes we've already heard played...Stories teach us to not give up hope because there are times in our own journey when we mustn't give up hope.  They teach endurance because in our lives we are meant to endure."

Oh how I love stories.

Have a blessed day,

~K