Vaddey Ratner weaves an extraordinary book with In the Shadow of the Banyan. It is beautiful and haunting.

A literary work of poetic, lyrical beauty, this novel is based on the real experiences of the writer as a child living through the time of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the writing, the author's use of poetic words and descriptions to tell this story of survival, loss, and emotion.

Very harrowing story, and you can tell it was inspired by the author's own experiences. I think a bit too intense/real in parts for the likes of me, but perhaps that's the point?

This book was fascinating on its own. It gives the Western reader a way to begin to understand the depth of suffering of the Cambodian people under the Khmer Rouge. The writing was vivid and clear. It held my interest throughout. It also proved to be a "gateway" to reading historic novels that were written by other Asian authors.