“When Broken Glass Floats” by Chanrithy Him

“When Broken Glass Floats” by Chanrithy Him

The October long weekend saw Billingsgate journey to the nation’s capital Canberra for a sojourn at the delightful Nathalie’s abode in Red Hill.

Spring in NSW it would appear brings a plethora of colourful blooms – and a whole LOT of rain, and we were lucky that our trip to Floriade brought more of the former than the latter as we tiptoed through the muddy wasteland surrounding the tulip beds by night!

But prior to that chilly evening frolic we shared a delicious S.E Asian lunch prepared by Nathalie in theme with this month’s selection “çThe October long weekend saw Billingsgate journey to the nation’s capital Canberra for a sojourn at the delightful Nathalie’s abode in Red Hill. Spring in NSW it would appear brings a plethora of colourful blooms – and a whole LOT of rain, and we were lucky that our trip to Floriade brought more of the former than the latter as we tiptoed through the muddy wasteland surrounding the tulip beds by night!

But prior to that chilly evening frolic we shared a delicious S.E Asian lunch prepared by Nathalie in theme with this month’s selection “When Broken Glass Floats” by Chanrithy Him. A confronting yet uplifting work giving a window into life under the Khmer Rouge, the work provoked a great debate on the nature of the human spirit.

Nathalie has lived in Cambodia (lucky enough to journey to Angkor Watt on a motor bike before it became a tourist wasteland!) and selected this book, in part because she loved the people, but also to reveal that even in recent history, terrible cruelty can still pervade the world. She first completed it in 1996 but believes it to have a fresh relevance in this climate of worldwide civil unrest and harsh immigration policy.

Leanne commented that the child’s voice made the horrors more palatable to read, but all were shocked at the actual un- believability of the events. Few can imagine that people can actually behave like this towards other humans, and the question was why? The answer came – because they can. Human competitive spirit bubbles to the surface when constraints are removed. Then the next question – are people intrinsically bad and it is only society that keeps chaos in check? From schoolyard cruelty, to Nazi or Polpott atrocities, are we all only a hairsbreadth from vicious animals? The jury was out on this – sadly.

People allow tyrants to be possible. Pettiness and mean spirit is triggered by opportunity. Playground bullies turn to torturers when power is added to the mix. Figures show that 1 in 20 of us has a psychopathic tendencies.

Generally the book was well received as a way to glimpse the everyday social history occurring underneath the more widely reported umbrella of political events. But it became repetitive – the horrors just kept repeating. It became dull, but perhaps that just accurately reflected the reality of everyday life and why the events could continue.

We were left with the thought that we need to work harder to ensure our leaders can actually lead. In these poll-driven political climes governments stand less for their beliefs than for their popularity. 

We all have a CHOICE. We choose how we live our lives and know the ramifications of our decisions. Let us all make better choices, and not justify the evil of others with our silence. 

Scores: 
Nathalie 7.5
Kevin 6
Leanne 7
Andrew 6
Alena 7 

Dennis chose to report rather than read. He felt he was not up to delving into human atrocities this month.

Next book: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.