The Scent of Rumduol http://scentofrumduol.com 'A Cambodian Novel' by Andy J. Hill Tue, 17 Sep 2013 06:35:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2 Welcome to The Scent of Rumduol… http://scentofrumduol.com/welcome/ http://scentofrumduol.com/welcome/#comments Mon, 29 Jul 2013 03:43:07 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=337 You need a dream, bpa-oan s’rey. We’ve all got to have dreams. – Chantrea

 

 

Sothea wants to be a famous writer, the most famous in all of Cambodia, to write about her life, and all the bad things that happen to children in her country. And the good things, as well. Her best friend suggests that there needs to be romance too, as all the best stories have a romance. Sokhem wants to be a web designer, and to create his own site, uncovering the things that nobody likes to talk about in Cambodia; the stuff that gets swept under the rug. His little brother, Vithu, wants to change the world, after he has finished school, gone to university, traveled, and read everything there is to read and learned everything that can be learned. Kosal worries for his country, and feels that the Cambodian people are lost. His master has sent him from the pagoda on a seven year pilgrimage to find understanding, and perhaps even enlightenment.

The Scent of Rumduol is a modern day tale of stolen childhoods; of children forced to survive the exigencies of a world epitomized by poverty, violence, drugs, child exploitation, and sexual abuse. It is the story of four orphans whose lives touch, and are touched, by others – including a teenage prostitute, a former Khmer Rouge guard, and a disillusioned aid worker – in ways nobody could ever have imagined.

It is a story of hope, resolve, love, karma, and, ultimately, of triumph over adversity.

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/welcome/feed/ 0
Modern-day Cambodia http://scentofrumduol.com/context-page/ http://scentofrumduol.com/context-page/#comments Sat, 27 Jul 2013 04:17:50 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=359 Soon enough we will all be dead anyway. And then whom are they going to blame for everything that is wrong or corrupt in this country? – Nimith

 

Look into the eyes of the Cambodian people…

There you will see the story of a horrific and brutal past, that of the Khmer Rouge and a decade of devastating civil war. But more than two decades on from those darkest days, there is another story. Look again, a little deeper, and you will see a tale of existent loss.
Cambodia is rapidly becoming one of South East Asia’s most popular tourist draws. A beautiful, welcoming, and largely safe country, modern-day Cambodia has come a long way since the Khmer Rouge and devastating civil war. Phnom Penh’s once deserted streets now bustle with people and traffic as it emerges into one of the region’s most energetic and exciting cities. Siem Reap attracts millions of tourists to visit its extraordinary Angkorian temples, widely regarded as wonders of the ancient world.
On the face of it, Cambodia is a happy land, at peace with itself, and being driven at breakneck speed into the future by a young, vibrant population.
Yet scratch the surface and you will find a very different Cambodia, one that is still battered and bruised by its disturbing past. Poverty remains entrenched, in both the countryside and the cities, while vast segments of the population are disenfranchised of their land, livelihoods, education, and opportunity of a better life by an impassive and predatory political and economic elite. Donors, aid agencies, and non-governmental organizations are still here, and they keep coming. Some seem to help, while others only add to the problems. Perhaps most do not understand the problems. And so the poor and disempowered continue to fall through the cracks.
As always, it is the children who suffer most.

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/context-page/feed/ 0
Inspiration for the book http://scentofrumduol.com/behind-the-book/ http://scentofrumduol.com/behind-the-book/#comments Fri, 26 Jul 2013 05:24:22 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=379 I want to be a writer. Of stories and poems. A famous Khmer writer. – Sothea

 

I first traveled to Cambodia in 1999, just as the country was opening up to travelers. Other than the temples of Angkor, which was my primary reason for traveling to Cambodia, my enduring memories of that initial trip include walking past Independence Monument and along Norodom Boulevard with not a car in sight, and a sleepy, forested Siem Reap with nothing much to do after sunset.

I returned in 2006 to a very different Cambodia. I had become involved with a small UK based education-NGO (or ‘charity’ as it insisted on calling itself – something that should have rung alarm bells). They built primary school classrooms in Siem Reap, as well as providing resources and stipends for teachers. ‘School Adoption’, they called it (even louder alarm bells). I helped fundraise among my wealthy banker friends to build five new classrooms at a school just outside of the town.

At the end of 2007, I applied for a Public Service Fellowship with the large US Investment Bank for whom I was working. The Fellowship was a wonderful opportunity to spend twelve months, sponsored by the Bank, working in some ‘meaningful’ civic role. I was one of five Fellows that year (and the only one from Europe), and it allowed me to work with the same education-NGO in the role of Strategic Advisor, based in Cambodia. Looking back, I realize how strange a proposition that was. I knew nothing about education, development, or Cambodia. I was a City bond trader. But there you go.

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/behind-the-book/feed/ 0
Extract http://scentofrumduol.com/extract-page/ http://scentofrumduol.com/extract-page/#comments Thu, 25 Jul 2013 05:30:25 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=384 There, beyond the rice fields, in a clearing shaded by the wood that is the end of the village and the start of everything else, the special place, we play. I see Veata and Sann, my sister and brother, laughing, and I laugh too. Children from the village run and dance, shoeless, clothesless, free. The older children stand in line, taking turns to dive and splash into the gray green pond, some trying to catch fish, some becoming fish. Ponleak, the ox, looks on, weary from his day’s work, wishing he could join in. Veata is a cat, no, a tiger, and runs at us, all claws and teeth. We scamper and scream, while secretly longing to be caught. Father and Mother are there too. Oa is handsome in his red kroma and white linen shirt. Mai, so beautiful, as if dressed for a wedding in her bright blue sampot and white av, pink butterflies in her hair. They watch us play, and I notice their hands, rested by their side, imperceptibly touch. They are happy, and so are we. Droplets of sunlight tingle our skin, and the silky grass tickles our feet. We hear music from the pagoda, the chinkle of bells ferrying the prayers of the monks, first to us, then on to The Buddha. A cool breeze whispers promises of nightfall, and the scent of rumduol flowers drips heavily through the thick evening air. Mai calls to us, her soft words swallowed up by the shouts and screams of play, but we know it is to tell us that our evening meal is soon, as if to confirm what the smell of distant burning fires already forewarned. But there is still time. There will always be time. Veata catches me. I am a tiger’s dinner. But Sann will rescue me, as he always does. For there is my home. And there, in this special place, amongst the redolent trees, and on the edge of forever, I am safe.

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/extract-page/feed/ 0
The Rumduol Flower http://scentofrumduol.com/the-rumduol-flower/ http://scentofrumduol.com/the-rumduol-flower/#comments Wed, 24 Jul 2013 04:46:52 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=371 Do you know what it is, my dear? It is the scent of a woman. And soon that is what you will be. A woman. – Hotel owner’s wife

 

The Rumduol flower (Mitrella mesnyi) is the national flower of Cambodia. It is well known for its strong fragrance, which is particularly redolent in the late afternoon or early evening. Rumduol trees are prolific in Cambodia, and while usually planted as a decorative tree, they often grow wild.

The scent of the Rumduol flower is traditionally associated with femininity, and in the 1960s it famously featured in a celebrated song by the popular Cambodian singer, Sin Sisamouth (‘Rumduol Dong Steung Siem Reap’).

While only referred to directly once, in the prologue, the flower and the scent feature several times in the book, as does the song.

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/the-rumduol-flower/feed/ 0
About the author http://scentofrumduol.com/about-the-author/ http://scentofrumduol.com/about-the-author/#comments Tue, 23 Jul 2013 03:59:03 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=348 All names have meanings. It is important, as it becomes part of your personality. Part of your story. - Reaksmey

 

Andrew Joseph Hill was born in Newport, Wales, on October 11th 1968. In 1987 he moved to London, which would become ‘home’ for most of his life. He has spent the majority of his career working in Investment Banking, and for ten years was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs. In 2008 he spent a year living and working in Cambodia as an advisor to a small education-NGO, under a GS Public Service Fellowship. In 2010 he returned to Cambodia, where he continued to live, work, study, and write. In 2013 he resettled in London.

The Scent of Rumduol is the author’s first novel.

 

 

 

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/about-the-author/feed/ 0
Reviews http://scentofrumduol.com/reviewsthescentofrumduol/ http://scentofrumduol.com/reviewsthescentofrumduol/#comments Wed, 03 Jul 2013 06:22:12 +0000 Andy Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=505
Thank you very much - I really enjoyed and appreciated this book. There was great insight into the modern-day Khmer culture, and the intense emotions it evoked has left me exhausted and reflective. I only wish I could've spent a lot longer with each of the characters.
Monica Butler
Having visited Cambodia, I know the dire scenarios depicted in this novel are all too real. The author masterfully weaves a thread of hope in this riveting tale of what life is like for children growing up in Cambodia. His creative style pulls you into the story so that it is hard to put down.
Jane
I was captivated and moved by this story. The writing and story telling is captivating, creative and poetic at times. For anyone who occasionally gets a little too frustrated when there's whole milk but no half and half at the coffee shop - here's a little perspective... and a great story to boot.
Jim Shea
'This book far exceeded my expectations! It is well written and very captivating. Andy's writing style instantly connects you to the characters and the location. Can't wait to see what he writes next - I enjoyed this book so much that I am hoping he has another project in the works!'
- Tina
Wow. This book really leaves a mark. It was difficult to put down. From my cushy existence it's almost unbelievable this is going on in the world (though I imagine it's based closely on situations and experiences the author encountered). In addition to the story, the convention used, and the language, I really like his "voice." It becomes almost poetic places.
Spinypotato

Click here to read more reviews on Amazon





* Required

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/reviewsthescentofrumduol/feed/ 0
Synopsis http://scentofrumduol.com/synopsis-2/ http://scentofrumduol.com/synopsis-2/#comments Sat, 28 Jul 2012 04:32:12 +0000 Andy J. Hill http://scentofrumduol.com/?p=364 Happiness is not something you can hold in your hand. It is like water. It’s there, and then it is gone. All you are left with is the memory of how it felt. – Old woman

 

 

The Scent of Rumduol is the modern day story of Cambodian orphans, stolen childhoods, and of hope over adversity.

Sothea is twelve when she is rescued from a begging gang, only to be sold into laboring at a garment factory near Phnom Penh. When a strike at the factory ends in tragedy, she finds work at a shady hotel in the city, which doubles as a brothel. Sothea is persuaded to sell her virginity to make money to send her sick mother, but at the last moment, her purchaser changes his mind. To keep her quiet, the hotel owners sell her to an orphanage in Siem Reap, a bogus institution aimed at conning tourists. Sothea quietly and patiently plots her escape, while nurturing a dream of becoming a famous Khmer writer.

Brothers Sokhem and Vithu are nine and seven when they witness the violent murder of their mother by their drunken and abusive father. Initially sent to live with an aunt, they are found a place in a foreign orphanage near the sea. Sokhem’s concerns about the intent of the establishment and the nature of its English patron are confirmed when he realizes that Vithu has been invited to spend a night at the benefactor’s hotel. Sokhem arranges to go in his place, and there he is raped. Escaping from the orphanage, the boys find their way to Phnom Penh where they start a new life sifting through the city’s garbage dump. Sokhem briefly discovers drugs (methamphetamine) and witnesses the overdose and death of his new friend Chea. When Vithu becomes sick (which they attribute to bad karma after stealing food from a wedding), Sokhem makes it a mission to get his little brother to hospital. There, a chance meeting with a Canadian-Khmer doctor changes their destiny.

 

]]>
http://scentofrumduol.com/synopsis-2/feed/ 0