A Clash of Innocents

by Sue Guiney

"It’s not supposed to be cold in February, not in Phnom Penh. Deborah, a 60-year-old American expat, is on her way back to the Khmer Home for Blessed Children which she has run for ten years. A young woman in her twenties is waiting for her. Another American, but with flip-flops and a backpack, she asks, 'Are you Deborah Young? I’m here to help."So begins a story of hidden identities and questioned motives. Who is this young woman? Who is Deborah? Who are any of the displaced Westerners who find themselves raising the leftover children of Cambodia’s violent past? Against her better judgment and building suspicions, Deborah allows the young woman, Amanda, to stay. But when a sick infant is left on their doorstep, the horror of the young woman’s past catches up with her and infiltrates the orderly workings of Deborah’s home. The precarious well-being of Deborah’s 'family' of forty forgotten Khmer children is jeopardized, as is her own emotional life.Against the backdrop of Cambodia’s violent past and the beginnings of its new Tribunal for 'justice', a story of displaced souls unfolds. In Cambodia, innocents are everywhere. Everyone is innocent, or so they would like to believe – everyone, except the few who, for their own private reasons, take on the guilt of the many.Review of A Clash of Innocents Against the evocative backdrop of Cambodia, this is the heart-warming story of the indomitable Deborah, who runs an orphanage and fights with her own demons as the country struggles to come to terms with its bloody history. Guiney keeps us wanting more with this tale of the triumph of love in impossible circumstances. A real page-turner.Fiona Robyn Reviews of her last book"Tangled Roots is also the work of a gifted writer, who never once intrudes into the story and whose existence we completely forget about. That is the highest praise I can give to anybody's writing skill. Most of all though, it's a compelling story about very believable people in whom we will all see something, perhaps a great deal, of ourselves, and it keeps you turning the pages. What more can we reasonably ask of any novel?"David Gardiner for Gold Dust MagazineBiographySue has lived in London for nearly twenty years where she writes and teaches fiction, poetry and plays. Her work has appeared in important literary journals on both sides of the Atlantic, and her first book, published by Bluechrome Publishing in 2006, is the text of her poetry play, Dreams of May which premiered in London’s Pentameters Theatre. Ward Wood has also publish her poetry collection Her Life Collected

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2010

About the author

Although born and raised in New York, Sue has lived in London for over 20 years where she writes and teaches fiction, poetry and plays. She has a passionate connection to Cambodia, where she goes every year to teach the Creative Writing Workshop she founded there for street kids. This passion is reflected in her series of novels set in modern day Cambodia:
[book : A Clash of Innocents]
[book ; Out of the Ruins ]

Reviews

[Ola · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first page A Clash of Innocence is a great read. Set in Cambodia, Sue Guiney introduces the country itself as a character in the book. She writes with great detail about the sights sounds and smells of Cambodia and rises to the subtle challenge of describing a resilient nation coming to terms with its tragic past.
Deborah - the main protagonist is strong, flawed, and determined woman who runs an orphanage. She manages under great difficulty to keep things going with the help of her adopted daughter Sam, a couple of volunteers and some of the older children in the orphanage. One day a stranger, Amanda, shows up at the orphanage, what unfolds is a shift in the atmosphere and dynamic of Deborah's world. Things become even more intense when a baby is abandoned on the door step not too long after Amanda's arrival.
Sue Guiney draws the reader into the story with her vivid description of Cambodian culture and tradition as well as giving an sight into Deborah's dilemmas and challenges in a story full of unexpected twists and turns. Technically her measured prose are a masterclass in the subtle use of language, This is a great read and I would highly recommend it.

[Lynda Renham · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvellous book.
Having returned from Cambodia for the second time this book helped keep my mind there.
I loved it. A beautiful story of Cambodia.
Kept me gripped and the colours and smells of Cambodia were so vivid as I read.
The story of Deborah and the young woman who enters her life and the lives of her children at the Orphanage she runs is unforgettable.
A wonderful read.
So happy to have made contact with the author after having bought this while in a bookshop in Siem Reap. I certainly brought home a piece of Cambodia with me.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is set in Cambodia and the country is also a character in the story, so strongly is it felt here. We meet Deborah, an American who runs an orphanage, and we meet all "her" children, each one beautifully-portrayed. There are secrets, strangers arrive, there is tragedy and joy. This is a story that will grip you, with its very real and flawed protagonists and fascinating setting. I read the book straight through, I was utterly absorbed. A wonderful novel, highly recommended.

[Pamalama Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential that it did not live up to. The main mystery it pushed was all about who Amanda was but I felt no draw towards her because I was able to figure her out fairly easily. I was more interested in the Tribunal and how both Deborah and Sam reacted to it. I had bought this book while in Cambodia so I was able to picture exactly what the author was describing. This book was an easy read I might recommend to someone wanting to branch out into Asian settings.

[Glyn Pope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say 3 stars for this because I don't think it was as good as Tangled Roots, but it was close. I think for me it was the setting. I wasn't keen and I found one of two of the characters a bit twee. But, I can still recommend it as a good read. Three and a half stars to be fair!

[Trebledb]

Cambodia as experienced by an American orphanage overseer: a mingling of American 70s revolution with upheaval in Cambodia. A well put together
story.

[Nyssa Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally bought this book because of the beautiful cover, but the story too has beauty woven within every word. A truly touching novel.