Trash

by Andy Mulligan
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 5 hrs 20 min.
read by a cast
genre: YA realistic fiction, mystery

This was incredible. The story never actually says the location of "the city," but I imagined Mexico City. (In looking at reviews, it sounds as though Manilla in the Philippines is more likely). Raphael and his friend Gardo pick trash together in the city dump known as Behala. One day, Raphael finds a purse with a man's wallet, a key, a map, and lots of money. This discovery sends them, along with 10-year-old Rat, on an extremely dangerous path of mystery and corruption. Powerful story!

My only complaint - the audiobook's cast is fabulous *except* for the boy who read Rat's part. His accent was inconsistent (somewhere between French, Scandinavian, and I'm not sure what else). His articulation was almost non-existent, making it hard to hear what he was saying. The few times he slipped into just normal "kid talk" with his own voice, I wondered why the director / producer didn't encourage him to use his regular voice for the entire thing.

I look forward to re-reading a print copy of this book.