A Treasure in “Trash”

My name is Raphael Fernandez, and I am a dumpsite boy. People say to me, ‘I guess you just never know what you’ll find! — sifting through rubbish. Maybe one day you’ll find something nice.’

MANILA, Philippines – Many a tale has been told about dumpsite pickers, the ill-fated folk that scavenge through the metro’s rubbish day in and day out for scraps of salvageable material.

Few of these stories however, are as charmingly told as “Trash,” a young adult novel by Andy Mulligan, published by David Fickling books, an imprint of Random House that has produced best-selling books for young readers, such as John Boyne’s “The Boy in Striped Pyjamas” and Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”

“Trash” is a modern-day Dickensian adventure loosely set in the Philippines, featuring three dumpsite boys – 14 year-olds Raphael and Gardo, and a younger boy called Rat. Inspired by Mulligan’s visits to a dumpsite in Manila, the novel is a thrilling story hinged on the premise of finding treasure in the trash.

NO FAIRY TALE

The fictional Behala dumpsite is a foul place, a community of ramshackle homes built on mountains of steaming rubbish containing anything and everything from household waste to human excrement. As soon as the dump trucks bring in the day’s haul, the townsfolk wade right into the muck, sinking their hooks into whatever can fetch them a fast buck for their next meal.

Like other children in Behala, Raphael, Gardo and Rat, have been sifting through the garbage ever since they could walk. Orphaned and unschooled, with barely a roof over their heads, nary a square meal, and not a peso to spare, the ragtag trio paints a grim picture of the lives of dumpsite boys.

One fateful day, Raphael finds a mysterious package in the rubble, and the discovery brings more than a lucky windfall. The boys discover that the parcel contains evidence – the ID of a man who was recently killed and the picture of his young daughter – pointing to a controversy involving a high profile politician and an exorbitant amount of money siphoned from public funds.

Digging deeper into the mystery pitches the boys into a harrowing adventure, packed with stakeouts and exhilarating chases. And as the forces close in on the boys to pressure them into turning over their find, the boys must get one step ahead of their pursuers, as they steel themselves to solve the mystery behind the coveted parcel, right a terrible wrong, and perhaps ensure themselves a fair chance at life.

“Everyone needs a key,” Raphael thinks, “With the right key, you can bust the door wide open. Because nobody’s going to open it for you.”

FIGHTING FATE

Told in short chapters that alternate the matter-of-fact narration among the three boys and other key figures in the story, “Trash” will keep the readers turning the pages in nail-biting suspense as they follow the boys in recovering the pieces of the puzzle laid out by a dead man.

“Trash” is a gritty read, sure to draw many a grimace at the boys’ plight as the story exposes the reader to the brutal realities of life in the lowest rungs of society: abject poverty, exploitation, and the grave effects of festering corruption.

Raphael’s shy smile and wide-eyed innocence, Gardo’s tough stance and determination, and Rat’s candid oddity place a well-meaning tug at the heartstrings, and despite the squalor of the backdrop, the trio’s resolve towards justice prevails. The boys rally on with their ingenuity, fighting the oppressive authorities, the helplessness of poverty, and ultimately, fate.

Friendship and survival shine at the heart of this novel, revealing an extraordinary wellspring of hope in the most desolate of souls and the unlikeliest of places

Trash is available at National Book Store branches with an introductory 20% discount — only P359.20 (SRP P449).

***

Trash, hardcover with dustjacket, review copy, 4/5 stars

Book #136 for 2010

M for A-Z Challenge