What a fabulous book! This was recommended to me by a friend, so I was actually a little disappointed when I first started it. The writing wasn't great. It felt disjointed and too choppy. But don't get discouraged! That only lasts for the first chapter or two. Once the story starts going, you wouldn't notice even if it didn't improve! (But it does.)
The Rent Collector is the story of Sang Ly, a Cambodian woman who lives at the city dump with her family where they make a living picking garbage. Her infant son suffers from continual diarrhea and its attendant issues. One day they find a book in the dump. They bring it home to share with their son. Sang Ly is very surprised, though, when their rent collector comes and can clearly read the book. Sang Ly decides she needs to learn to read to give her son a better life and asks the grumpy, drunken rent collector to teach her. This book tells of her journey to literacy but more it tells of the changes as she develops a relationship with the woman who collects her rent.
It is very interesting to read of a completely different world from my own. It is even more interesting to see connections to my life in a story of that strange world.
This is a completely clean book. There are a couple of mild swear words, but nothing too serious.
Definitely worth the time! You'll love it!
