Marvelous. This book is wonderful. Despite the connotation of the word, Trash is far from, well, garbage. It’s actually more of a gem, if I may say so. So what made me want to read this book? Curiosity. Who wouldn’t be curious about a novel about their own country? With these, I tell you in three parts the reasons why I like this book: the setting, the characters, the plot.
The adjustment
Although not mentioned in the book, Trash is most likely set in the Philippines. This is not surprising when you consider that the author, Andy Mulligan, who is British, had worked as a teacher in the Philippines. And then there is the landfill described as the main setting of the story, which is very similar to Payatas and Smokey Mountain. Third, there is a Greenhills in history where the rich and famous reside and there is also a Greenhills in San Juan, Manila. Fourth, the book mentions the use of “po” to show respect to the elderly, just as Filipinos use “po” and “opo” when speaking to older people. Fifth, Sampalo, the place where one of the characters came from, reminds me of Sampaloc, a place in Manila.
Just with these, Trash already feels close to my heart. Not that I like all the books I read that look like or even mention the Philippines / Filipinos in it. (On the other hand, I have not yet read any books on the Philippines that I have not liked.) But with this book, I feel very comfortable as if I were watching a telenovela or a movie in Tagalog, only the language is in English.
Characters
The book is told with the voices of several narrators, but the main narrators are the boys from the landfill themselves: Gardo, Raphael and Rat. I love these guys: their fears, their courage, their wit. I love how Andy Mulligan described these guys at the landfill – they are not pathetic or overrated, they are just normal landfill guys who scavenge and are among the stupid looking for something of value to save or sell. In short, the boys from the dump of history are real. Like how real corrupt politicians and police are in history.
The plot
The idea of some dumpster kids finding something of great value in the trash may not be very unique, but Andy Mulligan managed to keep Trash interesting with the way the unschooled kids worked to track down the treasure’s location. The pace is constant (not too slow, not too rushed) and the narration is very engaging. Somehow I had the feeling that after the cat and mouse chase between the children and the police officers who were looking for them, the children will still be able to escape. But then the ending blew me away. I like the ending better, but since I don’t want to be called a “spoiler” instead, I urge you to read this book. It really is a surprise to have to find out that Trash is a wonderful story, especially that it didn’t have high expectations at all. Reading trash is like going through the trash and being amazed at the treasure you find.
4 stars.
