"Two Deaths," by Kim Philley

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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 described Ooronoko.

It's apparent to the reader, that the protagonist's new love interest is the opposite of the men she abandoned probably because she didn't want to marry them. Instead, she is drawn to a risk-taker who is everything she is not. She is literary, detail-oriented, conscientious, and conscious of subtlety.  In contrast, Jonathan is great with a ball, but less so with words. Insults don't affect him because he's blissfully unaware.

 As the story progresses it appears that the only bond shared by Kim and Jonathan, besides talent and passion, is past trauma which may be an illusion. After all the protagonist thinks, I was vaguely annoyed; why did everything with Jonathan have to be a non sequitur? She was probably also thinking --- what was supposed to have been an escapist adventure has now turned into a draining nightmare.

Kim is an elegant writer who delicately crafts her prose. I look forward to reading Two Deaths again because this novelette is like poetry and must be read repeatedly to fully appreciate it. I hope Kim adds an epilogue because then this story would be a novella and would satisfy the curiosity of readers who desire more.







#The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2013 #DavidSedaris #KimPhilley #literature #Cambodia #PhnomPenh #Shortstories #Nigeria #Soccer #Death #TwoDeaths #Injustice #Romance




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