SOLVED. YA Coming-of-Age novel. Set in South or Southeast Asia. Protagonist is a boy who grew up in a women's prison. [s]

[X]

YEAR: I read this book sometime in 2008 or 2009 (no later than September 2009). It could be by an Australian author. I believe the story takes place in Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Sri Lanka, or Laos. I borrowed the book from my school's library (Grade 3-6), or my local library in Kew, Melbourne. It was most likely from the children's section (for readers under 12).

PLOT: [Beginning] The backdrop is in South or Southeast Asia. The book begins with the protagonist (a boy, no older than 12 or 14) recounting how he and his younger sister grew up in a women's prison with their mom, who's incarcerated. Their dad is in a men's prison. There's a flashback about how the young protagonist and his parents were stopped by police or some kind of law enforcement that searched their bus or vehicle -and both parents are in prison for smuggling some kind of illegal substance. I believe the boy's sister was not born at the time of the search that led to the parents' imprisonment.

[Middle to End] Then at one point, the boy gets out of the women's prison (not sure how, or where the sister ends up), and sometime later, he goes into the middle of the woods or forest to dig a hole -either for burning illegal substances or for storing them. I just remember him digging a hole -and this whole hole-digging-in-the-forest takes up most of the second half of the story.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

X, please add some plot details to your topic header, which is vague. Use the little edit link.

[X]

Lobstergirl wrote: "X, please add some plot details to your topic header, which is vague. Use the little edit link."

Thanks, just updated the topic header.

[Rainbowheart]

Wrong part of the world, but I Am a Taxi?

[X]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Wrong part of the world, but I Am a Taxi?"

This is the one! Thanks a bunch.

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, glad to help out!