In the Shadow of the Banyan

by Vaddey Ratner

Milk Mother said that stories are like footpaths of the gods. They lead us back and forth across time and space and connect us to the entire universe, to people and beings we never see but who we feel exist.

My book review: This new addition to my historical fiction favorites educated me on a topic I knew minimally about. If I’m being honest, I do not recall learning about Cambodia’s genocide in school. If we had, it must have been a passing after thought to Vietnam. But this holocaust was no after thought, and this novel deserves all the 5 stars it’s received. The story follows a young girl with polio who was part of Cambodias royal family from April 17th 1975 when the Khmer Rouge seized control, through to Vietnams interference in ‘79. The most inspiring yet heartbreaking part of this story is that it is based off the authors real life. Slavery, mass executions, and starvation are only a few of the horrors and iniquities the Cambodian population faced. Their stories deserve to be heard. And this book is a powerful and haunting one. As Raami (the main character) says: “Milk Mother said that stories are like footpaths of the gods. They lead us back and forth across time and space and connect us to the entire universe, to people and beings we never see but who we feel exist.”