The Rent Collector

By: Camron Wright

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 304

Published: 2012

Told In: First Person

“Movie” Rating: PG

Compare to:

Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

Letters in the Jade Dragon Box, Gale Sears

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

In a nutshell:

Sang Ly lives in a Cambodian dump with her husband and ailing child. In a last desperate hope to help her family, Sang Ly learns to read from their bitter rent collector.

What you may enjoy:

This is a book of hope and happiness in difficult circumstances. It teaches literature and the importance of an education. If you are looking for an inspirational, moving book this just might be for you.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The attitude and mannerisms of the characters in the book seem out of place, as if they have been Americanized. The voice of the main character feels unauthentic, and the ending is weak.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Boy run over by a truck; man beaten by a gang; woman slaps girl; boy beaten; boy stabbed, laying in a pool of blood with broken limbs; people shot and killed; man and woman shot and killed; baby shot and killed.

Sex and Nudity:

Man takes off his wife’s clothes; girl to be sold as a prostitute

Language and Profanity:

Damn (3 times)

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