The Rent Collector (Deluxe Edition)

The international bestseller returns—now with new bonus content celebrating 15 years of the perseverance of the human spirit and the power of literacy.

Survival for Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. She lives there with her husband and impoverished son in a hut made of cast-off planks, scavenging for recyclables to feed her family. Just when Sang Ly believes she is destined to spend the rest of her days at the dump, she discovers a glimmer of hope in the most unlikely of places—the bitter, alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap Sin, who terrorizes the dump dwellers each month, but who also happens to harbor a deep secret: She is hiding at the dump to escape her past.

When Sopeap reluctantly agrees to teach Sang Ly to read, the two women embark on a remarkable journey through the world of literature that transforms them both—and the world around them. Inspired by a true story captured in the documentary film River of Victory, The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of family, and of the magic of stories.

This special Deluxe Edition, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the beloved international bestseller, features a stunning two-color interior and includes bonus content found nowhere else:

• A new author’s note for the 15th anniversary
• The making of The Rent Collector: From documentary film to novel
• Return to Cambodia: The story of going back to find Sang Ly
• What’s true and what’s fiction?
• Q&A from 15 years of book clubs
• The making of the Cambodian Cinderella story
• Life lessons from the author
• Full-color photographs at the back of the book, including new photographs in the Author’s Note