Stung Meachey

Stung Meachey, the river that runs along the community where Sang Ly and her family live, is the largest municipal waste dump in Phnom Penh, and in all of Cambodia. While the location may have once been beautiful, mountainous and valleyed, as Sang Ly describes it, Stung Meachey is a mess of noxious fumes and rotting trash (6). The toxic water that surrounds their makeshift village at Stung Meachey, poses a constant threat to the community's health and wellbeing.

Because Stung Meachey is outside police jurisdiction, the location attracts bands of violent and lawless gangs. The community struggles to protect themselves against these criminal bands throughout the novel. While Sang Ly is desperate to leave Stung Meachey, both Sopeap and Ki find refuge in the place, and are reluctant to depart its familiar bounds.

Sang Ly and Ki's Home

Sang Ly and Ki's home is a shelter situated...