This ânovel of extraordinary humanityâ (Madeleine Thien, author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing) from New York Times bestselling author Vaddey Ratner reveals âthe endless ways that families can be forged and broken hearts heldâ (Chicago Tribune) as a young woman begins an odyssey to discover the truth about her missing father.
Leaving the safety of America, Teera returns to Cambodia for the first time since her harrowing escape as a child refugee. She carries a letter from a man who mysteriously signs himself as âthe Old Musicianâ and claims to have known her father in the Khmer Rouge prison where he disappeared twenty-five years ago.
In Phnom Penh, Teera finds a society still in turmoil, where perpetrators and survivors of unfathomable violence live side by side, striving to mend their still beloved country. She meets a young doctor who begins to open her heart, confronts her long-buried memories, and prepares to learn her fatherâs fate.
Meanwhile, the Old Musician, who earns his modest keep playing ceremonial music at a temple, awaits Teeraâs visit. He will have to confess the bonds he shared with her parents, the passion with which they all embraced the Khmer Rougeâs illusory promise of a democratic society, and the truth about her fatherâs end.
A love story for things lost and restored, a lyrical hymn to the power of forgiveness, Music of the Ghosts is a âsensitive portrait of the inheritance of survivalâ (USA TODAY) and a journey through the embattled geography of the heart where love can be reborn.