misspalah's review against another edition
5.0
“Srok Khmer. That’s how Cambodians refer to the country in their own language. Never cambodia, for Cambodia is synonymous with war and revolution and genocide. But Srok Khmer is a place that exists in geography of heart, in the longing for what is lost. For Teera, it is no bigger than her childhood home, and the more time passes, the smaller still it becomes, like a star whose light diminishes with increasing distance. The rest - the destruction, the killing, and all that was lost - she does not, will not, associate with her small private Cambodia. That was Pol Pot’s Democratic Kampuchea. Her country disappeared with her family.”
- Music of the ghosts by Vaddey Ratner
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.
If you have read “The shadow of the banyan” and loving it, then you need to read this book. If you did not enjoy her first book, then chances are you will still enjoy reading this book because i believe it is far superior than her first book. We followed Sutheera reverse exodus - From USA back to Cambodia. She went there almost impulsively after she received the letter from ‘Old Musician’ known as ‘Old Monk’ mentioning that he knew Sutheera’s Father. The story of Sutheera - i believe resonated with many cambodians that managed to escape the country from Khmer Rouge in 1979. Sutheera escaped from countless massacres with her aunt, Amara and never looked back ever since. She affirmed her identity as American and not once she dreamed of what used to be her homeland. Then, her aunt died of cancer. Her aunt mentioned that she wanted to go back or at least some of her ashes should made it back to her homeland. This book is slow but evocative, tender and heart wrenching at the same time. I just couldnt find the right word to pinpoint how i felt - The subject matter is sorrowful considering that many cambodians that are victims of khmer rouge waiting for the justice given to them. Meanwhile those who are surviving - trying to heal despite being traumatized and haunted by the ghosts of their own past. We came across few characters as we followed Sutheera’s journey in completing the puzzle of her story such as Tun, Narunn, Sutheera’s taxi driver, Abdulrazak and even her own parents, Sokhon and Channara. The chapters alternating back and forth between past and present works well with this book. The way the author weaves both Tun and Sutheera POV together and how it arrived to the final conclusion of what Sutheera wanted to find in Cambodia in the first place - Closure and hope, sense of belonging/identity and forgiveness. More than 40 years since Pol Pot’s Regime ended, but we still did not know much about it. We knew the basic info of what was going on - how the internal regimes is the direct cause but knowing the role that USA played externally and eventually caused the destruction of Cambodia, i was shocked. I wish i read this book before i went to Cambodia in the early 2019 as it will help me understand the historical and cultural context of places that i have visited. But i can still appreciate that i remember this places or ive been here when Vaddey Ratner mentioned them in this book because her prose is sublime You were transported to Cambodia right away through her imagery and lyrical description. Overall, this is a highly recommended book - if you never read any books from Cambodia or written by Cambodian, this is the book. I usually write long review but this time, i am not going to write in details simply because i want people to consider buying and reading it!
- Music of the ghosts by Vaddey Ratner
.
.
If you have read “The shadow of the banyan” and loving it, then you need to read this book. If you did not enjoy her first book, then chances are you will still enjoy reading this book because i believe it is far superior than her first book. We followed Sutheera reverse exodus - From USA back to Cambodia. She went there almost impulsively after she received the letter from ‘Old Musician’ known as ‘Old Monk’ mentioning that he knew Sutheera’s Father. The story of Sutheera - i believe resonated with many cambodians that managed to escape the country from Khmer Rouge in 1979. Sutheera escaped from countless massacres with her aunt, Amara and never looked back ever since. She affirmed her identity as American and not once she dreamed of what used to be her homeland. Then, her aunt died of cancer. Her aunt mentioned that she wanted to go back or at least some of her ashes should made it back to her homeland. This book is slow but evocative, tender and heart wrenching at the same time. I just couldnt find the right word to pinpoint how i felt - The subject matter is sorrowful considering that many cambodians that are victims of khmer rouge waiting for the justice given to them. Meanwhile those who are surviving - trying to heal despite being traumatized and haunted by the ghosts of their own past. We came across few characters as we followed Sutheera’s journey in completing the puzzle of her story such as Tun, Narunn, Sutheera’s taxi driver, Abdulrazak and even her own parents, Sokhon and Channara. The chapters alternating back and forth between past and present works well with this book. The way the author weaves both Tun and Sutheera POV together and how it arrived to the final conclusion of what Sutheera wanted to find in Cambodia in the first place - Closure and hope, sense of belonging/identity and forgiveness. More than 40 years since Pol Pot’s Regime ended, but we still did not know much about it. We knew the basic info of what was going on - how the internal regimes is the direct cause but knowing the role that USA played externally and eventually caused the destruction of Cambodia, i was shocked. I wish i read this book before i went to Cambodia in the early 2019 as it will help me understand the historical and cultural context of places that i have visited. But i can still appreciate that i remember this places or ive been here when Vaddey Ratner mentioned them in this book because her prose is sublime You were transported to Cambodia right away through her imagery and lyrical description. Overall, this is a highly recommended book - if you never read any books from Cambodia or written by Cambodian, this is the book. I usually write long review but this time, i am not going to write in details simply because i want people to consider buying and reading it!
driedfrogpills's review against another edition
4.0
So I have all these feels, but I'm not sure how to put it all down. Probably didn't help that I read this alongside Viet Thanh Nguyen's Nothing Ever Dies (or maybe it did help in a serendipitous kind of way? Since both books deal with survivors and with memory, but coming at them from two different angles and genres).
Lyrical and quietly reflective, Music of the Ghosts is a good if sometimes slow read. But I think, given the subject matter, it should be a slower read to allow readers to fully digest the novel. And Ratner gives us plenty to contemplate. The narrative switching between Teera, the expatriate returning to her home country and confronting all of her painful memories, and the Old Musician, who is in some ways still trapped in the horror he experienced, really helps to flesh out all the ways survivors carry what has happened to them while still living day to day. There's a deep grief and a lot of pain in this book, but there is also hope and forgiveness.
Overall, just read it. It's worth it.
Lyrical and quietly reflective, Music of the Ghosts is a good if sometimes slow read. But I think, given the subject matter, it should be a slower read to allow readers to fully digest the novel. And Ratner gives us plenty to contemplate. The narrative switching between Teera, the expatriate returning to her home country and confronting all of her painful memories, and the Old Musician, who is in some ways still trapped in the horror he experienced, really helps to flesh out all the ways survivors carry what has happened to them while still living day to day. There's a deep grief and a lot of pain in this book, but there is also hope and forgiveness.
Overall, just read it. It's worth it.
ogyogamom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Brilliant story telling set in a part of the world and a time of which I know very little.
nlkdonahue's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I found the writing to be tedious at times. Although, I did learn much about Cambodian history that I did not know. Took me too long to finally finish it and then felt the story was left at loose ends.
camillelalectrice's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
rseykora's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
zarrazine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
advcroft's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
skeetos_ma's review against another edition
2.0
Music of The Ghost took a while for me to get into. It was a slow read, a heavy story. It was a mostly sad story about life in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge. It went back and forth from past to present. It was sometimes hard for me to follow and to keep the characters straight. I never felt a connection or felt much of anything for the 2 main characters. I thought about abandoning it about 100 pages in but stuck with it. I did learn more about Cambodia.