Music of the Ghosts

Music of the Ghosts
By Vaddey Ratner
Touchstone, 2017, 324 pgs.  Fiction

After escaping Cambodia as a child, Teera returns to fulfill a dying request of her beloved aunt as well as to meet with a man claiming to have known her father before he died as a political prisoner twenty-five years ago.  Known to her only as "the Old Musician", Teera both fears and desperately longs to learn more about how her father died and how she is connected to the mysterious old man.

This novel is told from varying perspectives in varying time periods.  Slowly the stories are revealed as each character finds solace and peace despite violent histories.  What I most loved about this book was how the author describes both Cambodia and its people.  They become characters by their own rights and I learned so much about their history and how they are striving to recover and move forward to a more promising and peaceful future.  Beautiful, lyrical writing tells a story of hope and healing.

CG