Trash

Trash by Andy Mulligan, David Fickling Books, 2010, 240 pp, ISBN: 0385752145

Recap:

Raphael and Gardo are dumpsite boys. They've spent their entire lives eking out a living by picking through the mountains of trash that blanket Behala. The "best trash" consists of things like white plastic and metal. The worst? Stupp. Human waste. 

Then one day Raphael found something unexpected: a leather bag containing an id, a few photos, and a sum of money. He thought it was his lucky day... until the police showed up. The bag was only the tiniest piece of a puzzle - a far more complicated puzzle than Raphael, the police, or anyone else in Behala could have ever imagined. 

Review:

I first learned about Andy Mulligan's Trash through the Battle of the Kids' Books - one of my all time favorite sources for recommendations. As it advanced through round after round, even beating out my beloved Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I knew I had to give it a shot!

I was not disappointed. Trash is set in an undisclosed place and time. For some reason I read it as if it were taking place in the future, although Raphael's story could just as easily happen in the past or the present. I did learn through the author's notes that the fictional city of Behala is loosely based on the city of Manila in the Philippines. 

The poverty that these boys exist in is almost unthinkable. Homes are nothing more than crates piled one atop the other. From the time that they are old enough to wield their own "hook," small children are taken out of school and sent to scavenge through the trash. The government is greedy and corrupt, and it isn't at all unusual for members of the police to lock up (most likely) innocent children for years without hope of a trial. When Raphael finds the leather bag, it's no wonder that he chooses to keep his find a secret from the police.

But Raphael certainly wasn't in this story alone. Trash is told from many different points of view. In fact, pretty much everyone who was remotely involved in his story has their own chapter. This narrative collage of different characters adds depth and background to the overall mystery. 

As Raphael, Gardo, and their friend Rat piece together the different clues, the reader is treated to a rare story of hope and redemption. Trash's slender size leads you to believe that it will be a light and easy read, but only a few pages in you will quickly learn that this book is so much more.

Recommendation:

I will eagerly recommend Trash to readers of all ages. There is a strong emphasis throughout the story on the satisfaction gained through helping others, and the necessity of loving the people who much of the world would rather ignore. Combined with the complex codes and clues, Trash is a book for everyone.