Friday, 16 December 2011
The Phnom Penh Post
Looking for a good holiday read? Go no further than The End of the Monsoon by John Lathrop, available at Monuments books for $12.50.The book, set in Cambodia, was released by the UK publisher John Murray around the middle of the year, and Amazon’s book description reads: “Michael Smith, at the US embassy in Cambodia, has an urgent assignment: do what it takes to help a US oil company secure its contract with the Cambodian government before upcoming elections strengthen a Chinese competitor.
“His affair with Zainab, the British charge’s wife, complicates events. Unaware of Smith’s role, Zainab pushes hard for reform, convincing her candidate to tie oil concessions to clean government, and Chinese concessions to the release of a dissident monk. The ruling party works for the monk’s release, but insists that Zainab, a Buddhist herself, travels to the remote northern border for the handover.
Smith considers a British diplomat’s spouse to be a protected species in Cambodia.
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