collecting rent

       "...if we don't take the meaning of these stories literally, 

if we treat these tales as simply entertainment, we miss the deepest, 

most life-changing aspects of ... stories. We miss the entire reason they exist. 

... They carry messages that are older than the words themselves, 

messages that reach beyond the page."

At first I joined in reading The Rent Collector because it was the book 

we were reading for book club. I wasn't so keen on reading about about 

life on a Cambodian municipal dump.

From my cross cultural experiences I knew that a lot of life would be lived out even in a dump, 

and indeed it was, in all of its complexity. 

It didn't take long to get totally engaged in the story, 

and to fall in love with the characters.

It's a story much beyond life in the dump; it is filled with redemption, 

the power of the written word, and knowing how to read it.

I won't say more, but I do recommend the book. 

We had a smaller group for this gathering, but it was due to busy women, not the book. 

Our fare was simpler, and we took delight in our discussion.

"Whether we like it or not, hope is written so deeply into our hearts 

that we just can't help ourselves, no matter how hard we try otherwise."

All quotes from The Rent Collector.