Letters for Emily by Camron Wright

This year, I've read two other Camron Wright book, the Rent Collector and the Orphan Keeper. I loved one and was on the fence about the other, so I decided to read his other book, Letters for Emily.

It is about a family; a separated couple (Laura and Bob) and their young daughter (Emily), and his aging dad (Harry).

The son and aging dad have a strained relationship. The daughter-in-law and granddaughter visit the aging grandfather often. He's slowly losing his mind, has constant care, and has a mental illness.

Suddenly, Harry passes away. Soon in going through Harry's things, they find books of riddles. They are homemade books made with great craftsmanship. Soon they find that the riddle's answers open up files on Harry's computer. The stories all tell more about Harry's life. His wife died when their kids were growing up. Harry wasn't a loving father. Through his letter's his kids learn of his love story with their mother.

Meanwhile, as Bob and Laura are separated, he moves across the country to work in pharmaceutical sales in San Diego. The distance doesn't help his relationship with Laura. The book of riddles and the game of it all helps bring them together.

Bob is starting to see a lady that works at one of the doctor's offices that he visits. Laura busies herself taking care of Emily and with the riddles.

They find out that Harry left his house to Emily. Bob's sister, Michelle and her husband are sent the book of riddles. Her husband is convinced it leads to lots of money.

Through the book and files, they learn that Bob and Michelle's mom was coming to reconcile with her husband when she died in a car accident.

Bob, Laura, Michelle, and her husband meet up to search the house and solve more riddles to read more files. They find a safe, but it's empty.

Through the stories, Laura decides to drive across the country to try to renew her relationship with Bob. Bob realizes that he may lose Laura, so he calls her, but can't get a hold of her. He thinks of what happened to his mom and fears for Laura. He realizes she must of driven to see him despite winter storms along the way. Is it too late for them? Meanwhile, after a long journey, Laura's car breaks down not far from Bob's apartment. He decides to go out to find Laura and Emily and there they are! They walked to his place. Somehow everything they've been through brings them together. They're a family again and have a second chance, which is more than Bob's father could ever have asked for.

What was interesting about this story was that it was based off the story of the author, Camron Wright's grandfather, who like Harry had mental issues.

I was hoping I'd love this book, but I was kind of on the fence about it.

The Orphan Keeper By Camron Wright

Over Christmas break I read the book, the Rent Collector by Camron Wright. I loved it and it was a quick read. Since then, I've been longing to read his other book, the Orphan Keeper. I was hoping it would be similarly addicting. While it is a good book, it isn't as interesting or irresistible as the Rent Collector and it's about 100 pages longer. It though is based on a true story



Like the Rent Collector, it is set in a poor environment in a foreign country. The premise of the book is based on a true story. A young Indian boy from a poor family with an alcoholic, abusive father is kidnapped and taken to an orphanage. Despite all he does to tell them that he has a family, he is told that his family gave him away. There he cares for the younger children and tries to find a way out. He escapes one night through a sewer pipe, but soon returns once he's found a herb/root of something that may help an ailing girl named, Anu that he's taken an interest in.

Next thing you know, he's sent to America to live with the Rowland Family. From there, the book essentially skips ahead 10 years. Skipping that much time felt a little too long. The book picks up around his senior year of high school. Despite being in America over a decade, he still feels like he doesn't quite fit in. He is popular, yet struggles. He's since forgotten his Indian name and everything about his childhood in India.

After high school, he decides to study abroad in London. There, he lives with an Indian family. This is uncomfortable for him. Through those experiences, it brings up distant memories about his past. This experience makes him want to know more about his real family, but there's only so much you can learn from so far away. So, he tucked it into the back of his mind.

So, he goes back to the States, meets and marries an Indian girl, and graduates. They go to India for her brother's wedding and silently hatches a plan to drive around and try to find where he's from and his family. He doesn't remember much and doesn't speak the language. Also, the orphanage has since closed, but along the way he meets people who help him put together the pieces.

Finally, he finds the town he grew up in and his family. The joy and relief is unreal as he reconnects and tries to make up for lost time.

Several years later, both his set of parents meet and it's touching.

This was truly a great read though long in places.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

The Rent Collector is the best book I've read in a long time. The author, Camron Wright paints pictures with words so well that I can nearly imagine it all. It takes place in a dump in Cambodia. It follows the life of a young wife and mother, Sang Ly. She and her husband, Ki live and work in the dump, collecting things that can be recycled for money to for food and rent. On top of all the challenges of living and working at the dump, Sang Ly and her husbands's infant son, Nisay is continually sick.

Their rent collector is a harsh, demanding woman named, Sopeap Sin. The woman is often drunk which adds to her harshness. Once while collecting rent, she sees a book that Sang Ly has stares at it. That makes Sang Ly think that the woman must know how to read. So, the takes a leap of faith and asks the cruel woman to teach her to read. Sang Ly thinks it could change her family's life. Surprisingly, Sopeap Sin agrees. She used to be a teacher, which shocks Sang Ly. They meet once a week. Sang Ly looks in the trash for advertisements and books.

The dump is a sad, dangerous place. Sang Ly's husband gets robbed and beaten. A little boy, Lucky who lives alone runs to Sang Ly for help. A young girl that he knows needs help. Sang Ly runs to help and sees that she is having her cycle for the first time. She's an orphan and lives with her brother who is in a gang. Sang Ly tells the girl how to tell her brother and what to do to take care of herself. It's explained to Sang Ly that since the girl is now a woman, she'll be sold as a sex slave. Sang Ly must help. They come up with a plan to help the girl get away from the dump safely and live a new life. Sang Ly helps raise money for the girl's travel costs.

Ki is trying to get people together to take on the gangs who rule the dump. This scares Sang Ly as she fears for the safety of her family.

Meanwhile, she's learning to read and it's opened up a whole new world for her. While Sopeap Sin is a harsh person, she's a good teacher and Sang Ly is a great student. They start studying literature and looking for the deeper meaning in those stories. They're nearing the end of what there is to learn.

Nisay is still so sick, nothing helps. Sang Ly feels her deceased grandfather tell her to return home and see the local medicine man. It's a long expensive trip and they must save up for it. Sang Ly takes a book for the ride. The bus ride gets longer as there's a delay. People get fussy including young Nisay, so Sang Ly reads her book out loud to him. She notices that others are listening along. They reach their destination, but her captive audience must hear the end of the story. The driver and passengers agree to wait for her to finish the book. Once the book is read and her family disembarks, everyone smiles and thanks her for reading to them.

Once in her home village, Sang Ly sees the medicine man, who it turns out was friends with her deceased father. The medicine man comes up with how to treat Nisay. As they leave, the medicine man, he shares a photo and stary of Sang Ly's father that she'd never known before. The treatment cures Nisay; finally!

Sopeap Sin is often sick, someone mentions that they saw her in the hospital and she has cancer. Sang Ly doesn't know how to broach the topic. Sopeap Sin says she must go away soon. Throughout their time together, Sang Ly learns that Sopearp Sin used to be married and had a child. Slowly the story rolls out. At that time, there was much political unrest in Cambodia and all the educated people were targeted and killed. Sopeap Sin and her housekeeper return home to see that rebel forces are there ready to harm her family. Her husband proclaims the housekeeper as his wife. The housekeeper plays along. They hear the baby cry and they beg the rebels not to, but they kill baby her husband and who the presume to be his wife who is actually the housekeeper. So, the wife takes the housekeeper's name as hers. It turns out she actually owns the property she collects rent for. She sends much of the money to the real Sopeap Sin's family. Sang Ly tracks down the family and learns more about the rent collector. She tells them that the real Sopeap Sin is dead.

Sopeap Sin the rent collector has disappeared. Sang Ly uses all the info she learns and with the real Sopeap's Sin's family she tracks her down. She's back in the house she shared with her family. The owner lets her spend her last days there. Sopeap's family thanks her for her financial support. Sang Ly spends the rest of Sopeap Sin's time with her and then she passes away. Sopeap Sin leaves Sang Ly and Ki her house with a huge library that's outside of the dump. How much their lives were changes by the rent collector.