"Two Deaths," by Kim Philley
Two Deaths by Kim Philley is a moody thriller about an American journalist traversing the backroads of Cambodia. It focuses on her complex relationship with Jonathan, a Nigerian soccer player, and the bureaucratic challenges he faces while seeking to relocate to Australia. The protagonist is a woman surrounded by tragedy in the underprivileged third world. As she undertakes her work, she encounters death and then is haunted by childhood memories where she often felt blamed for other peoples' transgressions. Arguably, the protagonist's biggest fault lies in being too hard on herself. At one point, she recounts a childhood bee sting and how much she cried. Was she crying from the actual bee sting or the blame she placed on herself for disobeying her mother's warnings? The story begins in Phnom Penh. The young journalist quietly recounts former flames left behind in Portland. Then she describes Jonathan in vivid detail like the 17th-century novelist Aphra Benh describ...