The Rent Collector by Camron Wright is a story of second chances. Set in the most deplorable location, the story unfolds in the largest municipal dump in Cambodia where hundreds of people live and work scratching through the garbage looking for anything they can recycle and sell. It is a day to day existence with peril at every turn from giant bull dozers to fire. The story revolves around two women who begin their journey together in a most unexpected way. Sang Ly has to confess to the ill tempered, alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap, that she does not have money for this month's rent because she had to take her chronically ill baby for expensive medicine. It is only by sheer coincidence that this vile woman happen so see a book that Sang Ly's husband has brought home from the dump. Sopeap reveals that she is more than an illiterate drunk; she can read and Sang Ly bargains with her for the book -- teach me to read. And, of course, learning to read leads to discussions of literature and this changes everything. The women work together to reach renewal and redemption. The works of literature they study together range from Cinderella to Moby Dick but all lead to an important life lesson. "Stories that change your nature, stories that cause you to become a better person from their telling--these stories always contain truth." This was a life affirming, uplifting allegory of all our lives. You will come away feeling amazed at the magic revealed through the works of a story.
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