Truth, she believed, lies in what is said as much as in what isn’t, in the same way that a melody not only is a sequence of audible notes but encompasses the spaces and pauses in between. When listening to music, you must learn to take in even the atmosphere of an echo.

The music of the ghosts tells the story of Suteera that, as a child, survived the Cambodian genocide. With her aunt, she migrates to the US where she has a plentiful life until one day, 25 years later, when Suteera receives a letter from an old man telling her that she knew her long-dead father and that he owns a musical instrument that the father used to own and wants to give back to her. Suteera returns to Cambodia, where trauma and loss surround her and has to find in herself a way to heal and forgive.  The narrative jumps between Suteera and the old man, giving us different perspectives of the same tragedy.

Ratner writes a book with beautiful and lyrical prose and transports us to a place where people are still trying to recover from loss, guilt, and sorrow. There are some truly beautiful passages and I could easily imagine the streets, temples, and people living in Phnom Penh.

Although the story is very slow-paced and the plot did not evolve as much as I wanted, I enjoyed learning about the Khmer Rouge regime and genocide, a terrible period of time of which I knew very little besides the general details. In addition to the historical facts, Ratner helps us understand the impact the regime had (and still has) at a personal level. The trauma, the guilt, and the coping mechanisms to which Cambodians have re-coursed to keep their lives going. Those bits were the hardest parts to read, so painful and vivid but still the ones that make this story truly worthy.

About Vaddey Ratner

Ratner was born in Cambodia in 1970, five years before the Khmer Rouge came to power. She is a survivor of genocide and war refugee. At the age of 11, she arrived in rural Missouri as a refugee. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Cornell University, where she specialized in Southeast Asian history and literature. Music of the Ghosts is her second novel. 

Other books written by CaMBODIAN women:

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Cambodian initiatives and projects that support and empower girls and women

Khemara

Khemara is the oldest local NGO in Cambodia. It supports women and children to educate, protect and empower them to improve the quality of their lives. The Income Generation Project is Khemara’s microfinance project that offers its beneficiaries initial loans of USD $120 with 0% interest. To increase the likelihood of success in their small businesses, they conduct workshops on business skills, marketing and loan repayment advice, as well as training on profit making. They also have a program to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls with Disabilities.