Not only is the story based on the experiences of reallife family, even many of the names appear unchanged. The power of literature is beautiful throughout the story. His hollow gaze, protruding belly and constant diarrhea make sang ly weep, but she knows that it is only in the dump that money can be made to heal her son. Under threat of eviction by an embittered old drunk. This book narrates a story that reminds us that hope can and does reside in the worst of situations and that even the most cruelest and heartless person has a story. Camron wrights the rent collector, originally published in 1990, tells the story of sang ly, a 29yearold cambodian woman who lives at the edge of cambodias infamous dump, stung meanchey, with her husband, ki lim, and her 16monthold son, nisay.
Sang ly, the desire to believe, to look forward to better days, to want them, to. The rent collector is a throughtprovoking story of. The rent collector is the story of a young mother, sang ly, struggling to survive by picking through garbage in cambodias largest municipal dump. Sang ly is unable to pay, and sopeap threatens to evict them until she sees an illustrated childrens book. Just when things seem worst, sang ly learns a secret about the badtempered rent collector who comes demanding moneya secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The rent collector is a story of hope, of one womans journey to save her son and another womans chance at redemption. His hollow gaze, protruding belly and constant diarrhea make sang ly weep, but she knows that it is only in the dump that money. Its based on the amazing true story of taj rowland. Camron wright based the rent collector off a documentary his son filmed called river of victory. The orphan keeper by camron wright, paperback barnes. Camron wrights the rent collector, originally published in 1990, tells the story of sang ly, a 29yearold cambodian woman who lives at the edge of cambodias infamous dump, stung meanchey, with her.
It demonstrates that even in a dump in cambodia perhaps especially in a. The rent collector is a throughtprovoking story of family, love and. The titular rent collectoran abrupt, bitter, angry woman named sopeap sin, but. If you loved the rent collector, you will also enjoy my book the orphan keeper. Based on a remarkable true story sevenyearold chellamuthus lifeand his destinyis forever changed when he is kidnapped from his village in southern india and sold to the lincoln home for homeless. The book is a moving fictional novel about a lady who has lived a life spanning from before the khmer rouge period to modern day cambodia.
The rent collector by camron wright, paperback barnes. What made it even more incredible was that it was based on a true story. The rent collector was a treasure of a story about a trash dump in cambodia and the memorable characters who eked out a living there. It was a readers choice award winner, as well as a selection of the doubleday book club and. The rent collector is the fictional story based on this real family as they desperately try to find a cure for their chronically ill son, nisay. The story is a novel, but you mention that it was inspired by real people. The rent collector is a novel inspired on a documentary the river of victory, the largest dump in cambodia called strung meanchey. The rent collector summary from litcharts the creators. The rent collector is the fictional story based on this real family as they. The rent collector a novel by camron wright, reading for. Sang and ki struggle to make a life as pickers in the dump community. This story is based on truth and is told about real people.
Based on a true story, set in the abject poverty of cambodia against the backdrop of political oppression and the atrocities of the khmer rouge. The rent collector is a novel that keeps you thinking from the moment you start reading until the last page. The rent collector is a novel written by camron wright in 2012. Where did the idea for the rent collector come from camron wright. Sang ly lives with her husband, ki, and their habitually ill son. The rent collector by camron wright discussion questions. In the opening pages of the rent collector, sang lys grandfather promises that it will be a very lucky day. Sang ly lives with her husband ki lim and their son nisay in the. It is based on the true story of a family who lives in a garbage dump in cambodia, with. The book takes the real struggles and story of the family in this documentary and fictionalizes them just enough to fill in gaps and do what a good story.
Since the book is a novel, based on a true story, how much of it is true. The rent collector kindle edition by wright, camron. The wife and mother in the story, sang ly, learns to read and write, taking lessons from a. There were lots of amazing quotes to highlight and talk about.
I enjoyed the capitivating way the book is written as well as the contents of the story. In the rent collector, cameron wright tells the story of a young family living in the largest municipal waste dump in cambodia 5. Here at stung meanchey many call me rent collector. The rent collector is a fathers novel inspired by his sons documentary, river of victory.
I often read books that make me think, keep me guessing or that offer profound knowledge and. This fictional story about a reallife family in cambodia garnered one of. By going to the book s website, you will learn even more about the story of those who live at the dump. Sang ly lives with her husband, ki, and their habitually ill son, nisay, in. Based on a true story, the rent collector tells the story. It is beautifully written, in that much of character development and the story. In the rent collector there are a few insertions of traditional cambodian stories into the story. While he is gone, sopeap sin, stung meancheys old, drunken, and bitter rent collector, comes to sang lys oneroom hut to demand their rent payment for the month. The rent collector camron wright published by shadow mountain. The written word offers hope for a brighter future in wrights factbased new novel after letters for emily.
While most look to the rent collector as a cow and a heartless, black soul, she bears a secret that leaves you falling in love with her. Then, in march of 2018, i have a new book coming out called the other side of the bridge. Please join us for the next meeting of the marsha razin zl book and film club on april 20, 2020, at 7. While preparing the novel, wright recalled many instances where.
Camron wright, quote from the rent collector if you are going to do wrong, at least make sure you dont get fat from it. Through the firstperson narrative of sang ly, wright explores the ways. My neighborhood book group met this month to discuss a novel id never heard of before, the rent collector by camron wright. Other times, i took separate events that actually happened, and for the sake of story. The rent collector is a novel based on true happenings. As such, the author writes an uplifting story that reads easily, while. Based on the true story of ki lim and sang ly who live with their sickly son. Other times, i took separate events that actually happened, and for the sake of story, wove them into a single incident. But my most cherished title, the one i most revere, was a long time ago in the department of literature at the royal university. The rent collector was based on a documentary called river of victory. Under threat of eviction by an embittered old drunk who is charged with collecting rents. The author states that the novel is a work of fiction, but it accurately reflects the time setting, the living conditions, the characters, and important historical facts. It is a great book for a book club, as there is a lot to discuss.
After one of his four children filmed a documentary about the stung meanchey dump in cambodia, wright returned to his writing career and used the films story as the basis of the novel the rent collector. Under threat of eviction by an embittered old drunk who is charged with collecting rents from the poor of stung meanchey, sang ly embarks on a desperate journey to save her ailing son from a life of ignorance and poverty. The rent collector is about a family who lives in a waste dump called stung meanchey in cambodia. Library survival for ki lim and sang ly is a daily battle at stung meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of cambodia. Sang ly and her husband ki remind us that we make our own happiness, not by the things we have, but by spending time with those we love. Just when things seem most bleak, sang ly learns a secret about the hated, illtempered woman, the the rent collector she can read. The rent collector is a story of hope, of one womans journey to save her son and.
I was immediately taken by the notion of a garbage dump as the story. What made it even more incredible was that it was based on a. My book was inspired by a documentary that my son filmed at the stung meanchey dump in cambodia. It demonstrates that even in a dump in cambodiaperhaps especially in a. One such story is sarann, the cambodian version of cinderella and the inclusion that there are many versions of the same story.
1130 690 183 1259 692 705 174 920 1339 1406 581 995 913 849 1130 241 1367 781 1140 103 1350 289 395 442 1279 958 906 1474 14 543 1260 926 521 482