In the Shadow of the Banyan

A Novel

By: Vaddey Ratner

Narrated by: Greta Lee

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Told from the tender perspective of a young girl who comes of age amid the Cambodian killing fields, this searing first novel - based on the author’s personal story - has been hailed by Little Bee author Chris Cleave as “a masterpiece… utterly heartbreaking and impossibly beautiful.”

For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Soon the family’s world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus.

Over the next four years, as she endures the deaths of family members, starvation, and brutal forced labor, Raami clings to the only remaining vestige of childhood - the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father. In a climate of systematic violence where memory is sickness and justification for execution, Raami fights for her improbable survival. Displaying the author’s extraordinary gift for language, In the Shadow of the Banyan is testament to the transcendent power of narrative and a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience.

©2012 Vaddey Ratner (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"This stunning memorial expresses not just the terrors ofthe Khmer Rouge but also the beauty of what was lost. A hauntingly powerful novel imbued with the richness of old Cambodian lore, the devastation of monumental loss, and the spirit of survival." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Vaddey Ratner's novel is ravishing in its ability to humanize and personalize the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s. She makes us look unflinchingly at the evil that humankind is capable of, but she gives us a child to hold our hand - an achingly believable child - so that we won't be overwhelmed. As we have passed from one century of horrors and been plunged into a new century giving us more of the same, In the Shadow of the Banyan is a truly important literary event." (Robert Olen Butler, author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain)

"Often lyrical, sometimes a bit ponderous: a painful,personal record of Cambodia's holocaust." ( Kirkus Reviews)

A tribute to story telling and parental love

I didn't think I would enjoy this after seeing the Genocide Museum in Cambodia. However the author has written a beautiful tribute in which I felt she has showed herself so well to be her parent's daughter. The horrors of the regime were vanquished by her rich description of familial strength, ingenuity and love. I thought the narration excellent.

Incredible time in history

Would you consider the audio edition of In the Shadow of the Banyan to be better than the print version?

Learned from a different perspective what the people of Cambodia lived through during this time in history. A lesson in philosophy, courage and fortiude.

Fear, Terror, Hope and Love through a Child's Eyes

This autobiographical novel by a member of the Cambodian royal family gave life to the news reports of the takeover of this region by the communists I had read decades ago. The father, whom the narrator lost, had been a prince and a famous poet and taught is handicapped daughter to see the world through his eyes. Despite the horror of seeing her family torn apart and the deprivations that left her homeless, hungry and sometimes alone, this eight-year old sees beauty around her and remembers the images painted by her father. The lyrical nature of the story-telling tied this loving daughter to her father even after their separation and what she fears is his death. Her guilt at having betrayed him because she was proud of who he was is palpable -- perhaps because these events are part of the true story of the author. The book has added dimensions in the unfolding of the painful relation with her own mother and the way the child narrator seeks out love from strangers, while trying to avoid those who would cause her further harm.

Before ordering this book, I read a long interview with the author in The Washington Post and knew about her life. Even this interview did not prepare me fully for the impact of the novel, although it left me wishing I knew more about what was fact and what was fiction.

This would be a good read even if the novel was not based on the horrible adventures of a small child who had to mature quickly in an environment so foreign to the love and plenty she had known.

Am Still Thinking About It

What a story.....it won't leave my mind. I was very involved in the peace movement during the Viet Nam conflict and how I could have missed this major event in Cambodia is mind boggling. Did the U.S. government simply decide to not allow this story in print or did I miss the whole thing??? After reading this book I did my own research on what happened in Cambodia following the Viet Nam debacle and was stunned. This story tells the tale from a very up close and personal point of view of events that occurred in Cambodia during the '70's. It is a hard read. The author has given Cambodia and history a look inside her country and an accounting that absolutely had to happen. Am so glad I finally took this out of my 'wish list' and gave it a listen.

Child's perspective

It is a story of beauty, family, pain, suffering, and sacrifice. I found it very interesting coming from the perspective of a child. It is truly horrifying what those people went through. This book was both hard to finish and hard to put down.

Amazing Book

Any additional comments?

Beautifully written book with many lessons- lessons in history, survival, government, corruption, tragedy, and the ability to find beauty in the midst of unspeakable horrors and cruelty. And all based on true story. I appreciated every minute of this book.

Such a sad story, but so beautifully written!

Would you consider the audio edition of In the Shadow of the Banyan to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Raami of course! The story was told through her brave little-girl eyes.

What does Greta Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Greta Lee brought just the right amount of variation in tone between characters, and narrated the exceptional prose with such tenderness.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of the children in the ditch during the storm, and the uncle's subsequent death.

Any additional comments?

I intend to read/listen to all of Vaddey Ratner's books... Hopefully, they aren't all a sad as this one.

Beautiful Poetic Writing!

While the basic storyline (set in Cambodia during the regime of the Khmer Rouge) is tragic, the lyrical imagery and the embedded stories of spirits brings beauty to the sordid details, and the tone is one of hope and celebration of life.

Surprisingly good - a powerful and poignant story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely - it is an extremely well written account of the ordeal of a girl and her family at the hands of the communist khmer rouge regime - truly heart rending. Ms. Ratner writes with the voice of a poet. I was seriously moved by this work of art.

What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Shadow of the Banyan?

There were many - but the scene in the buddhist temple early in the book was quite striking and hauntingly beautiful.

What about Greta Lee’s performance did you like?

I loved the innocence of her voice.

good read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I've posted on Facebook to incourage friends to read this book. The story is unique and well done.

What other book might you compare In the Shadow of the Banyan to and why?

I'd recommend "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung if your interested in Khmer Rouge survivor stories.