Trash

Andy Mulligan (author)

David Fickling Books, Random House: UK; 211pp

ISBN: 9780385619028

Genres: adventure, realistic fiction

Issues: corruption, friendship, poverty, social condition

Raphael Fernandez is a ‘dumpsite boy'. He and his friend Gardo spend their days ‘picking through the stuff this city throws away' (p4), searching for things that can be recycled, bits of plastic, glass and fabric that he might be able to sell for a few pesos - enough to allow them to stay alive. They've been doing it since they were three years old. They expect to do it all their lives. Then one day Raphael finds a bag which contains a wallet. The wallet contains money, a photograph and a key. And suddenly it seems as if the whole world is after the dumpsite boys.

Raphael, Gardo and Rat find themselves in charge of the key to a very dangerous secret - one that will reveal corruption in the highest places. Pursued by police, knowing that they can trust no one but themselves, the three boys risk everything, including their lives, in order to unravel a series of clues that could lead them, and others, to a better life. Set in Indonesia, where the author visited a dumpsite similar to Behala, Trash reminds the reader of the heart-wrenching inequality that exists in our world and the terrible callousness of many who have the power to bring about change.

An outstanding first novel, Trash is presented as a collection of individual recounts pulled together by the priest at the mission school. This means that while the novel is written entirely in first person the viewpoint shifts through at least five different characters, which broadens the reader's experience of the various characters and events. Mulligan has skillfully created an individual voice for each character - differences of vocabulary, sentence structure, rhythm, maturity of perspective. These things work together to create a rich, cohesive image of the boys, their world and their adventures in it. Whilst the boys' final choice about what to do with their discovery rather weakens the narrative, it is a realistically child-like decision and also symbolic of the difficulty of providing effective help and change for so many.

Mulligan has created a page-turning adventure which has a strong subtext about inequality of wealth. He also recognises that the problem can seem as insurmountable and unending as the trash heaps at Behala; that corruption and greed amongst those in government can completely consume efforts made by wealthier nations. The help of individuals - mission schools, charities working on the ground - can bring about slow change; but with entrenched corruption and huge populations, it can be like trying to bail a sinking boat with a sieve. Despite this, Trash is full of hope. It is Rat, the youngster regarded by others as weak and strange, who has the dream of getting out of Behala and it is his vision that shows the others that change is possible. Distressing, thought-provoking, confronting and written from a dreadful grief at the waste of valuable human potential, Milligan has created a haunting and hopefully inspirational book.