The Rent Collector by Camron Wright gives a look into the life of trash pickers living in a huge dump of Cambodia.
Their daily life is roasting hot, dirty from the discarded articles,
muddy from the rains, dangerous because of the smoldering piles, files
and vermin. What they retrieve from the dump is not a living but
sometimes enough to sell to buy rice and if they are lucky. They are
forbidden to build houses so they look for materials from the dump to
build three walls and use a canvas cover to block the rain. Their
clothing, cooking pots and all other possessions came from the dump.
Sang
Li is poor but is not aware of what people take for granted outside of
the dump. This is her world. Her baby boy, Nissay is constantly sick
with diarrhea and can't keep any food down so he doesn't grow. This is a
constant worry of his parents. Sang Li's husband is Kim Lim, a hard
working picker and loving father and husband.
You would think
that the pickers wouldn't have to pay rent because of where they live
and the fact that they build their own day shelters. But Sopeap Sin, aka
the Cow collects the rent every month. She seems to be just a very
angry old drunk woman who hates everything except her high grade wine.
But because of what Kim Lim find in the trash one day, all of their
lives change including the rent collector.
This story is much
than what it is a life of daily survival in the dump; it is the story of
hope, understanding, redemption and secrets dating back the Pol Pots'
devastating regime.
Book club will be held on Wednesday February 26, 7:00 PM at Linda's house. I look forward to seeing you there!
