The Merit Birds

by Kelley Powell

Eighteen-year-old Cam Scott is angry. He's angry about his absent dad, he's angry about being angry, and he's angry that he has had to give up his Ottawa basketball team to follow his mom to her new job in Vientiane, Laos. However, Cam's anger begins to melt under the Southeast Asian sun as he finds friendship with his neighbour, Somchai, and gradually falls in love with Nok, who teaches him about building merit, or karma, by doing good deeds, such as purchasing caged merit birds.

Tragedy strikes and Cam finds himself falsely accused of a crime. His freedom depends on a person he's never met. A person who knows that the only way to restore his merit is to confess. The Merit Birds blends action, suspense, and humour in a far-off land where things seem so different, yet deep down are so much the same.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Teen, Asia, Friendship

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Once upon a time there was girl named Kelley. Kelley was terrified of the math centre in her grade school classroom, but man, that creative writing centre made her smile. In her spare time she wrote stories - lots of stories – about rainbows and ghosts and horses named Frankie Hoof Powell. As she grew, she came to believe that being a writer was pretty much impossible, so she decided to do other things. She went to Indonesia and lived in a one-room hut with a family of 6 villagers and accidentally dropped her sarong while bathing in the village river. She got mistaken for a drag queen while teaching English in South Korea; chased monkeys away from children while volunteering in India; and got tricked into marriage in Laos.

Kelley was still allergic to math, but she studied stuff anyway - politics at Queen's University and international development at the University of Guelph. She became a yoga and meditation instructor too. Still, something was missing. It wasn’t until Kelley had three small children and no time to write that she decided to get serious about stories again. The result is The Merit Birds, her debut novel, coming from Dundurn Press in May 2015. Please read it. Please like it. Frankie Hoof Powell does.

Reviews

[NickReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so let's start with the cover.Very intriguing.You can guess by the cover that it is a coming of age story,and a really good one for me.



One of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much was the introduction to a foreign culture for me,and it was so refreshing and even that I had some problems with the book,this aspect of the book drew me and I couldn't put it down.



It's about a boy named Cam who is not in his best mental condition(he is not crazy,he is just so angry all the time)and he moves into a different country and a different culture and different everything,and there he meets people with different personalities and also with ideas.I don't want to go deep because I am afraid I might spoil you something,so read it,it's short and enjoyable.



What I also liked about this book was that each character had a vision,and a background either happy or sad and it was what made this book real and relatable and that says a lot about a book.



I recommend this book to every reader out there,if you are into diversity,culture and coming of age stories,then this is definitely a good choice for you.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posted at Shelf Inflicted

I read this book while on vacation in Puerto Rico, so it was very easy for me to get accustomed to the tropical climate of Vientiane, Laos and get absorbed by the foreign setting and cast of compelling characters.

There was Cam, an 18-year-old Canadian who is angry about his mother’s decision to change jobs and live in Laos for a year. There was Somchai, Cam’s neighbor and first friend in Laos. There was Nok, a masseuse struggling to support herself and her brother, Seng, while gradually developing a friendship with Cam, who is one of her clients. There was Seng, a street vendor who desperately wants to go to America.

This is Cam’s story. While we get his perspective of events, we also get a glimpse of Laos and its inhabitants through the eyes of the secondary characters. There is beauty and warmth, but also incredible pain and hardship.

As Cam grows more accustomed to his environment and his life becomes intertwined with those of Somchai, Nok, and Seng, he begins to mature, even as a tragic event complicates all their lives.

This is a lovely, descriptive story about the importance of family, friendship and community that starts at a leisurely pace, picks up speed toward the conclusion, and ends on a satisfying note.

[Sherwood Smith]

Received from NetGalley.

The blurb says:

Eighteen-year-old Cam Scott is angry. He's angry about his absent dad, he's angry about being angry, and he's angry that he has had to give up his Ottawa basketball team to follow his mom to her new job in Vientiane, Laos. However, Cam's anger begins to melt under the Southeast Asian sun as he finds friendship with his neighbour, Somchai, and gradually falls in love with Nok, who teaches him about building merit, or karma, by doing good deeds, such as purchasing caged "merit birds." Tragedy strikes and Cam finds himself falsely accused of a crime. His freedom depends on a person he's never met. A person who knows that the only way to restore his merit is to confess.

All true, except for Cam's falling for Nok is very close to insta-love, but on the other hand, I totally believe insta-love on the part of an eighteen year old boy.

The book is really about three people; not mentioned, but vivid, complex, and finally important is Seng, the bigger kid, who is also angry and confused and bewildered. One of the best parts of the book for me were Seng's, though at first I wondered why he was in the book at all. But the author skillfully brings al the threads together as the tension slowly rises, then takes off at jet-speed.

Finally, this is a book in English, written for English-speaking readers, and it's Cam's story. I appreciated the way Powell let Cam speak for himself in first person, while the narrative voice stepped in to relate Nok's and Seng's portions. Above all I liked how Cam gradually loses his judgmental arrogance. There is no sense (in spite of Cam's initial anger at being an unwilling stranger in a strange place) that North American culture is in any way superior to ancient Laos. Cam's journey into diversity leads the reader to appreciate the Laotian view, while at the same time seeing that Laos--like anyplace else in the world--contains human beings who can be good, bad, confused, unhappy, desperate to get away, angry and cruel, or content and happy. And thus the philosophy of the merit birds matters--has consequences.

Cam is finding his way in spite of his reluctance when a shock accelerates events, and the last portion of the book is a riveting read, before coming to a poignantly satisfying close. Powell does a terrific job here; I think this is one high school librarians should put on their buy list for their older readers. (There are some mature-reader aspects.)

[J.S. Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Merit Birds is a fascinating book about Cam, an 18-year-old boy who moves with his mother from chilly, familiar Canada to steamy, unfamiliar Laos. Cam is initially full of anger and self-pity. He grows into himself through his friendship experiences and a series of adventures with many totally unexpected twists. Somchai, Nok, and especially Sai teach Cam a new way to see and feel the world. Cam thinks that, “for a small, land-locked country there seemed to be so much space. So much room in a friendship, so much time in a minute.”

Somchai is a native neighbor who befriends Cam. Nok, Cam’s second friend, works as a massager. She is propositioned by a mean-spirited client and thinks, “her dignity was invisible to him because of her poverty, because her English wasn’t perfect, because she was a girl, and because of her brown skin. To him, she was just another thing to buy and use.” Sai, a monk, teaches Cam the art of meditative breathing. Seng, an insecure Lao boy, has difficult choices to make involving Cam and merit, an important social and religious concept.

The Merit Birds is steeped in Lao culture and tradition. This story explores cultural differences, the profound effects of poverty, the value of friendship, and the necessity of honor. This is a very interesting and educational book!

[kynndra-jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Merit Birds was a novel unlike any I have ever read. I’ve honestly never been interested in many contemporary novels; however, while browsing Netgalley I happened to check this one out. I requested it, and thankfully was given the honor to read it. I never realised how tired I was of sticking to the same genre’s (basically all I read is dystopian and paranormal) but sheesh, this was an eye opener to say the least. I’ve read a fair bit of amazing books this year, and I think it’s fair to say that this gem ranks amongst my top ten.

The story is told in three different POV’s: Cam’s, Seng’s and Nok’s. Each side presents a different challenge. Cam, struggling to overcome his anger and discover what is really important in life, Seng who craves the good life, wishing he could move to America, and Nok, a smart and intelligent girl who works at a massage parlor – just scraping by to provide for herself and her brother, Seng. Eventually, all three sides of the story come to a climax in the middle.

The story opens with Cam, an eighteen year old Canadian boy who has moved across the world to Vientiane, Laos with his mother. Cam Scott is a vexed character, a caged dog if you will. He’s always been the popular kid at school, he’s always had an ample amount of friends, he’s the star athlete of the basketball team, but beneath that exterior is a lost kid who takes his anger out on the people he loves because buried under all the anger lives a kid who just wants to be loved and seen for who he is and not what his accomplishments are.

It doesn’t take much to make Cam snap.

This angry trait is well displayed when he and his mother arrive in their very different, very new home.

Cam resents his mother for not showing him the love he’s always wanted. She’s never been around for him and because of that, it’s a battle of will for Cam to give Laos a shot for her benefit. It takes awhile but slowly, eventually he begins to ease into the ways of the good willed country. Through the perspective of Cam we see as an anguished boy begins to crumble and change, he starts to see that there is so much more to life than basketball or materialistic joy. He makes an extraordinary friend by the name of Somchai. Somchai had to be my favorite character. He teaches Cam in more way than one that life does not revolve around him.

Then we have Seng, a man who quite frankly acts like a boy. I did not like Seng, I found him pathetic and I just could not bring myself to give a damn about him. He spends his time trying to sell things on his bike, wishing he were in America, and watching tourists. Plus, what happens later on in the novel only brought my resentment of this character to a peak. I’m probably being harsh but I just couldn’t invest in this character. He was simple, whiny and boring. In my opinion, the only worthy thing he did throughout the entire novel was at the end.

Lastly, we have Nok. I enjoyed Nok quite a bit, but we never truly get to see much of her. She’s a smart girl who never got to expand on her education due to lack of money. When her oldest sister left to marry a man and move to Canada, the responsibility of caring for her older brother, Seng and herself falls on her shoulders. Her only option is to work at a massage parlor. This is where she meets Cam, the foreign boy who she slowly begins to grow close to. However, the people of of Vietiane begin to whisper about a Lao girl being seen with a falang (foreigner).

This romance is cut short when tragedy strikes, an unforgivable crime is committed and false accusations fall on Cam.

Cam’s future all boils down to one strangers choices.

Kelley Powell’s writing proved to be a delight to read. It ran smoothly, and illustrated the story so well it played out in my head. She took me on a trip to an entirely different country allowing me to marvel in the culture of the Lao people and their morals. I loved the story behind the title. Freeing caged birds to better ones merit – it’s beautiful and perfect all at the same time. Powell’s debut novel was a beguiling story with a lot of heart invested in it. While I wished the characters were drawn out more, and that the ending wasn’t so abrupt I honestly loved the main portion of it.

The Merit Birds is an extraordinary tale of seeing beyond our own problems and righting the wrongs we have committed. This novel’s message shall truly stay with me forever.

“Boh Penyang, No Worries.”

[Marco Cultrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Merit Birds we follow the struggle of Cam, a teenager still in high school, transplanted by his somewhat self-obsessed mother from a normal life in Ottawa, Canada, to a completely foreign environment in the Asian country of Laos.

Powell chooses to write Cam's point of view in the first person, but moves to the third person when tackling the locals, a device that works very well to introduce the reader to the country of Laos from the unique perspective of someone like Cam, who is at first not really interested in the new culture that surrounds him, while at the same time not sheltering the reader from the hard lives of the Lao people.

And it's right when the whole picture starts to become clear that the novel really hits its stride (and you'll know it immediately what I mean when it happens), making Powell's choice pay off even more.

That's when, while Cam is facing more hardship than any person of his age should, the real tragic figure of the novel emerges. Seng, who at first was depicted as just one of the countless peddlers surviving by selling junk to tourists, acquires such dramatic depth that he almost steals the spotlight in the second part of the novel.

I say almost because at the end of the day the novel remains about Cam, with Seng's journey just putting the Canadian boy's struggles into perspective, allowing the readers to look within themselves about how to feel about him, and possibly questioning their own sensibilities and beliefs in the process. You can hardly ask more than that from a piece of fiction.

The Merit Birds is an outstanding debut from Kelley Powell, a writer that I'll continue to follow in what I'm sure will be a great career.

[Karen ⊰✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't work for me. Mainly because the main character is so incredibly unlikeable and I felt like the cultural references were forced upon you, rather than letting the reader wander around Laos with the characters to make your own connections and decisions on what is described.
The novel switches between multiple POVs and perhaps that didn't help as I found the writing quite stilted and not flowing well.
It is of course possible that I'm not the right demographic, and maybe the book will appeal more to teenage males with an interest in South East Asia.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Bert Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read blending multiple cultures and environments. A truly educating journey for any youth and adults alike.

[joey (thoughts and afterthoughts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

[See the full review at thoughts and afterthoughts.]

Rating: 3.25/5

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
— A culturally immersive adventure through Laos; from vibrant communities to dingy living environments; akin to like an all-expense paid trip
— A coming-of-age following three perspectives written in first-and-third person; the intermingling of narrative voices in a short book does dilute character growth
— Long stretches of plotting where nothing really happens. However, this where the resilience of the story shines best—in the little moments of discovery, survival and hope
— Romance errs toward instalust with an undertone of exoticism
— Shortcomings in writing that can suspend genuine poignancy and realism





Initial Thoughts:
In truth, I thought this was going to be a lot more CanLit-y than what was portrayed but that’s okay, the merits of alternative diversity made up for the otherwise lacking Canadian side to cultural exploration. I’d also like to give congrats as this is a debut novel for Ms. Powell.

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Merit Birds though NetGalley for an honest review. I extend my thanks to Dundurn for providing me the opportunity to review this book.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.


Premise
The Merit Birds is a tale of one life seen through many lives; a coming of age that displaces privilege with suffocation, friendships with relationships, and exposes the invisible divide in colonized lifestyles. It follows Cameron Scott as he finds himself removed from his Canadian home and plopped into the dank, unfamiliar, and culturally dissonant landscape of Laos. His journey juxtaposes between two siblings: Nok and Seng, both of whom find their impoverished lives intertwining with the exoticism of foreign blood. It is in stripping away the struggles of discovery, survival, and hope that lays the groundwork toward another step to be experienced.

Setting
The majority of this story takes place in-and-around Vientiane over the course of a year and immerses readers to objects of foreign appreciation and native traditions. From street vendors and roads of havoc to claustrophobic living conditions and lush (and grimy) terrain, the narrative truly drives readers on an adventure through Laos. The setting is perhaps the strongest aspect of this novel.

While it is often concerning when authors write about cultural diversity without research that can dip into territories of exoticism and stereotypes, in truth, I didn’t feel sidelined into some propaganda with Powell’s writing. Yes there will be certain attributes that ring true the marginalization of women, the notion of corruption in a third-world country, and the beliefs and practices that are the foundation of it all—but that’s to be expected. What I found The Merit Birds doesn’t do is jump on these tropes for a be all end all type of experience. That’s the thematic crux of The Merit Birds. It remains the backdrop but it doesn’t limit the characters to only be the boxes we know or want them to be; their stories matter.

As a first-time traveler to Laos, I felt the wanton acts of the rich against impoverished Nok; who simply works at a massage parlour to get by. I felt the shimmering American dream Seng wanted to swim in; amplified by his dirty clothes of fake memorabilia. But most importantly: I felt Cam’s angst toward a strange world punctuated by his parents divorce and being thrust into an environment that lacks the privilege so many of us grow into thinking is a fundamental necessity. (Continued in Narration…)

Narration
It’s this objective look at equality and culture which makes this read resonate through its three distinct voices: Cam’s first-person perspective, and Seng and Nok’s third-person omniscient. The pacing is a bit of a toss-up. Admittedly, nothing really happens (and when shit hits the fan, it hits the fan hard). It’s one of those situations where your retrospective thoughts on the characterisations define how you’ll see this story (not while it’s happening).

Part of me was hoping that Cam’s heritage had more of a voice in the story as if it was a character (much like how the setting embodied that). Don’t get me wrong—his apprehension to life is felt immediately but anecdotally, I wish there was more of him extending his personal attributions (values and cultures inclusive) to those around him so it breaks down those exoticized walls for natives to view foreigners as more than just that. A journey can be walked alone but this one isn’t. The people Cam crosses paths with matter; you learn from others and others learn from you.

There are also some holes in storytelling that did take me out of the story. For one, it’s unrealistic to me that a family member who essentially abandoned her flesh-and-blood ends up returning to the political and economically corrupt wasteland without some indication early on to say that she’s “okay”. It’s like, “yeah, I’m going to some war-zone–don’t wait up for me” I get that the individual in question didn’t have a voice but this is where showing versus telling comes into play.

Alternatively, Cam was also gifted with so many get-out-of-jail-free cards with Somchai, his neighbour, being the prime suspect of these fortuitous moments. It was as if the entire world revolved around fixing Cam’s mistakes and that felt like a big no-no to me because though friendship is a hallmark of this story, people have other lives to live as well and you can’t just abuse that.

The most wtf element in this story is actually the merit birds themselves. I felt its symbolism pushing people to be better; whether it’s by encouragement or selflessness, the point of which is to build karma. But karma isn’t a balanced thing. You can’t quantify it and say “hey, dude up there, I’m gonna trade you 20 good deeds so I could get another date” It’s not even something that should be represented in this currently life; rather, it’s something you theoretically come into post-reincarnation. The point of “don’t be a jerk and you’ll lead a happier life” is well taken but there isn’t true causation with Cam’s predicament to its resolution. Not only that, it was written as though karma is a common thing people think about and discuss in conversation. I don’t know about you but isn’t the point of karma club not to talk about karma club? (You should get demoted for glorifying your karma.) Overall, I just think the entire basis of karma was rather forced.

Characters
Growth and change is a difficult thing to grasp. It’s unrealistic to wake up a changed person; it’s even more difficult to do that in an unfamiliar setting. It is in this reason alone that I might understand Cam’s continuous bitching and hypocrisy. Understandably, Cam is angst-ridden but you would be too if you had to throw your life away and start anew elsewhere. That’s fine. The problem is in the numerous times when Cam trades rage for compassion; where he owns control of the situation in his head but ends up exploding anyways. It’s this single constant that not only causes his self-realized growth to stagnate, but it makes the read less tolerable. Cam understands the wrongdoings of his past but still ends up trailblazing fire with the same lighter as before. He either doesn’t learn or selfishly chooses not to learn until it is too late. This is the core beef I have with his character.

Furthermore, the relationship between Cam/Nok slightly suspends belief. It leans closer towards instalust rather than that of a tangible relationship. It’s funny because the only thing that separated Cam and the foreigner-client who tried to have sexual relationships with Nok is that Cam tried to have a conversation with her before being utterly smitten by Nok. It’s a tad weird when Nok is portrayed (or perhaps fetishize) as a pure, intelligent girl who can’t seem to catch a break but so many of her actions go against the safety net of her character. Seng, on the other hand, is perhaps the character that I felt grew the most. It’s a weird predicament. This story would seem wholly Cam’s—but it isn’t—their fates are shared. I guess you could say that their screen-times detract from each other’s growth.

Overall
The integrity of Kelley Powell’s The Merit Birds weaves optimism and bleak-as-shit narratives—all within the same moment of time—to promote the institution of culture through a multi-arced story. It’s a progressive read coming in at 240-pages that shines brightest when nothing is happening; and is a story that blasts readers with diversity and culture and should be experienced by Westerners. See, it isn’t that the resolution isn’t something to relish in, it’s that the journey far outweighs the destination.

I leave you with this:

“Her dignity was invisible to him because of her poverty, because her English wasn’t perfect, because she was a girl, and because of her brown skin. To him, she was just another thing to buy and use. All he knew about was the money in his pocket and the selfishness in his heart.”

[See the full review at thoughts and afterthoughts.]

[Lakshmi Nagaraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO. DAMN. HEARTBREAKING. I loved it. It's definitely not a perfect book, it's full of flaws but I love it so much. It was so real. The slow innocent love story felt so intimate and personal. The poverty was so real. The dreams Seng had about America were so relatable. The heartbreak as you find that they're never going to be true was so real. The CULTURE, the stark differences. All the HEARTBREAK. I can't even. Everything felt too real and just felt so personal to me.

[Aila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected at all.
That can either man it was better, worse, or in this case, it absolutely stunned me.

Market place in Laos!

The book starts when Cameron (Cam) moves to Laos from Ottawa, Canada because as he likes to say, his mother is at having her midlife crisis. Cam is very flawed, and is even sometimes hard to like. He gets angry easily. He gets aggressive when angry. And he's very bad in holding in his temper. Cam is a senior and goes to an international school in Laos. He hates it there. He hates the heat, the way his mother, Julia, doesn't care about him, the way he's separated from his friends back in Canada.

The author does an amazing job in showing readers the cultures and traditions of Laos. Ah man, the way she describes Laos is absolutely delightful. The sticky rice the characters eat, the bustling marketplace, the gruesome conditions of the jail. Powell doesn't miss a thing! When Cam is exposed to the Buddhism around the area, we see the temples and monks and I can just imagine myself there. Reading these descriptions really reminded me of the trips I made to the rural mountain areas in China a few years back. The toilets in Laos are quite unique, though.


Want to know why there's a pool of water next to the toilet? Read the book and find out!

I absolutely love how Cam is affected by his environment. In the beginning of the story, he abhors the new place he moved to but towards the end he begins to see it as home. Now, I know this has been done many times and of course once you get used to something you see it as home, but the path Cam takes to get there is just a lot to take in. Cam's neighbor, Somchai, is a native that can speak English and is pretty much always there for him. Somchai teaches Cam so much about friendship and how meaningful it is in Laos. Cam realizes that although these people have so much less than he did, their hearts are so much bigger and they're so happy.
"They lived by the saying boh penyang - 'no worries.' They saved their energy for telling jokes and helping out friends or family. It seemed kind of simple, yet profound at the same time. Weird how a poor country like Laos can be so rich." 


At the same time, Cam is courting a native Lao girl named Nok. Nok is an intelligent, resourceful girl who's supporting her brother Seng and herself. Their parents were taken by the government to be reeducated in communism (sounds so scary!) and they've been gone for three years. So here we have a sixteen-year-old girl who's taking care of a brother who's a couple years older than her. However, Cam finds solace in Nok's company and starts to develop feelings for her.
When the blurb says "tragedy strikes," tragedy strikes hard.


Cam finds himself in jail, and in the gruesome conditions manages to find a friend: Sai, a Thai monk who teaches Cam a way of meditating and letting out his anger. Throughout the meager days in the prison, they forge a close bond that further teaches Cam poweful lessons in his life.
"Back home I would have been creeped out about sleeping closely to so many guys, but you don't think about that kind of stuff when you're just trying to survive. Besides, Lao guys never think about it. They walk down the street with one arm draped around their guy friend and no one thinks twice. In Canada we're so free, but at the same time we're not." 

From Somchai, Cam learns the power of friendship. From Nok, Cam experiences the beginnings of adolescent love. From Sai, Cam recevies the power of controlling his own emotions.

This coming of age novel has Cam's character develop a lot. The only complaint I have about this is that I think he could've developed even more. Every time Cam lets his temper get ahold of him, he knows he's wrong but doesn't stop. Even after his lessons and everything he learns, we still see him behaving the same way in the end as he did near the beginning. Granted, he realizes the mistake of his actions very quickly, but I think it could have been avoided if Cam used the lessons he learned from his past.

The ending gives readers a sense of satisfaction - karma at its finest. When everything seems to be at the point where nothing can help, an unexpected savior steps in to make things as right as they can be.

The Merit Birds paints a realistic picture of Laos that blends in culture and native settings using an amalgam of colors that will reverberate in your head throughout the rest of the day. It is a coming of age story, but will also expose you to a lacking world filled with happy people.

Rating: 4/5

[czai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up The Merit Birds because of the mere mention of Laos. I've never read anything about Laos. Heck, I've never really read anything that was set in South East Asia. So when I saw Laos in the lurb and how it seems to go over the culture, it was an insta-read for me.

The Merit Birds is unexpectedly great. At first, I get confused with names and titles such as 'Meh' for mother most likely because I'm not familair with Laos names. But after a couple of chapters, I'm already settled and found myself attracted and absorbed to Lao culture. Perhaps it's its closeness to our culture (PH culture) but either way, Powell's writing really placed me in the heart of Laos's capital, Vientiene.

Cam is Canadian from Ottawa. He moved to Laos with his mother whom he only refer to as Julia because of a certain event. He doesn't like Laos. He doesn't like how his life completely changed because of it. Then there's Seng, a poor Lao who dreams of going to America thinking taht life there is all good like how he sees it in television. And there's Nok, Seng's younger sister, too smart to work as a massage therapist but too poor to enter a university.

The first half of the novel allowed me to picture Laos, its culture, and its people. It allowed me to understand these there characters. Later on, Cam and Nok slowly built a romantic relationship. While the two of them seem nice together, I didn't quite feel for them generally because there weren't really enough interaction between them. The development of their relationship began with narrations - what Cam thinks of Nok, how beautiful she is, blah-blah-blah... - and what Nok thinks of Cam - how she sees him as a regular 'falang' (foreigner) to something more than that.

When it goes to the second half, the Lao New Year, and things happen, you just know how things will go. It was, of course, very unfortunate but this is were both Cam and Seng crosses. This part is where they fully developed - their struggle, their worries, the things they learn - and built their characters that made me smile at the end of it all.

OVERALL, The Merit Birds is a beautifully written coming of age story that involves family, friendship, and culture. This is definitely a MUST READ.


this review can also be found at the Blacksheep Project

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I loved most about The Merit Birds was the setting. Powell crafts a portrait of Laos with a deft hand, offering the reader the sights and smells of a country and a people. We learn about what life is really like there- the political re-education camps, the poverty, the religion, the multi-faceted culture. It is a hard life, having to forsake one's dreams to feed their children and support their family. And it is into this place that 18-year-old Cameron Scott and his mother drop.

Cam's character is pretty one-dimensional; he's a short-tempered, close-minded teen with anger issues, huffing and puffing his way through his first weeks in Laos. He opens up to the culture, of course, as any protagonist must, but he was annoying and spoiled for a good portion of the book. His growing to accept the Lao way of life and his own situation was, while believable, too perfect. He didn't deal with it as a real person would. Actually, none of the characters were developed to any great degree.

The plot was interesting- however, it, too, had its faults. It was unexpected, but some parts were a stretch (especially Seng and Vong finding their mother in Bangkok). Also, conflicts are introduced but never followed through: Cam's fight with the Thai guard, how Chit got to Thailand, where Vong went, etc. Even Nok's death felt rushed, since we never got to know Nok's character that well. Which is a shame, considering she was interesting and intelligent.

The biggest flaw by far was the writing. SHOW, DON'T TELL! There were just sentences upon sentences of, "The market looked small. Cam was angry. Seng felt discouraged. The sky was red." Come on! Some variety, some figurative language, would really be nice.

Overall, this was a solid book, but it just wasn't up to par with other books of this genre I've read. So I give it a low three because it had a good story and a well-done setting.

NOTE: I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher, however I was in no way obligated to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed above are MY OWN, I just want to make that clear. The day I write a review influenced by anyone's feelings but my own, I will quit reviewing books for good. Promise :)

[DubaiReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good and bad of Laos.

This novel was a fascinating mix of cultures, with Cameron (Cam), a teenage Canadian boy, finding himself whisked away from everything he knew and felt comfortable with, into a new and alien country. Laos gets into his bones in a way he had never expected. The Buddhist religion permeates the Laos way of thinking and behaving, and eventually calms Cameron from the angry person who originally arrived from Canada.

However, a lot happens to get Cam to this point and some interesting characters are involved. Some of these I liked, some less so. Cam's mother is one of the less likable characters, she is self absorbed and career minded, dragging her son behind her. Their new neighbour, Somchai, however, is the embodiment of the Buddhist way of thinking and he teaches Cam a lot about forgiveness and caring for others. Nok is the 'love interest'. As a masseuse, she meets some pretty nasty people, and struggles to reconcile her desire to study with the need to earn money for herself and her brother, Seng. I wasn't keen on Seng, a big fat man who behaves childishly a lot of the time. He scrapes a living selling plastic rubbish from his bike and dreams of a future in America, Finally there is Sai, who Cam meets later in the book, after things all start to go wrong. Sai is a Buddhist monk and is the final piece in the chain of transforming Cam from his materialistic, selfish mind-set into an enlightened young man with his life ahead of him.

I loved the descriptions of Laos and its culture, and the transformation that Cam goes through as a result of his stay there. The Merit Birds of the title, are caged birds, bought to be released, to increase your karma, but all your good deeds count towards this end too.
Events do spiral out of control in a pretty drastic manner and I found the ending rather abrupt, but this was an excellent debut and is certainly an author I shall follow in the future.I think I have fallen in love with the Laos culture, it's now high on the list of countries I'd like to visit.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why a booktrail?

A journey into a new culture and a new awareness as one boy moves with his family from Ottawa to Laos..

Story

Eighteen-year-old Cam Scott has a lot to deal with at the moment. His dad is not around and his mum has just accepted a job posting in Vientiane, Laos which means a move halfway across the world. What about his dreams of playing basketball for Ottawa not to mention the strange new culture and life he’s about to have forced on him.

His new life however has some strange effects on him as he begins to make friends and even finds love. There’s a way of building good faith here – you buy a caged bird – a ‘merit bird’ and that gives you good karma. But when tragedy strikes, Cam finds himself needing a lot of good faith from a culture and people he realises he knows little about.

Not having read much YA before – I know shame on me! I wanted to read this as it sounded very impressive from the outset. The locations were a particular attraction but as soon as I started to read, it was clear how this was going to be a mix of stories -an angry young teenager taken out of his comfort zone, a cultural shock to contend with and one heck of a misadventure. There’s a romance and a search for the truth and that combination made for some interesting reading.

I felt completely transported to Vientiane and through Cam’s eyes, I felt a confused teenager in a new land with every noise, smell, sight – even the weather was so very different to those in Canada.

It’s a coming of age story and there were times I could have slapped some sense in to Cam to be honest, but then that’s just me. The whole story is more important than any quibbles I had about him. Might be different if I were a teenager.

A really good blend of cultures, landscapes, teenage emotions and life lessons to be learned. Oh and the idea of Merit Birds was a particular highlight for me. What they are and what they stand for – something to take away from this book no matter where in the world you’re from.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For more reviews, visit Books and Insomnia .
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I was just mainly disappointed with this book. The Merit Birds has an interesting premise but sadly, it fell short. I liked that it's culturally diverse; heck, it's even set in Laos! I dived into this book with high expectations because hello?! Diversity right here! I enjoyed the depiction of Laos culture and living in a Southeast Asian country myself, The Merit Birds felt close to home. But halfway through, I was just bored and couldn't care less what would happen. Reading this made me sleepy, nothing much was happening and I couldn't connect with the characters. Cam was so resentful and angry most of the time. Julia was an irresponsible and neglecting mother. Seng was pathetic and selfish. The only ones I liked were Somchai and Nok. They're both friendly and smart and kind. They were the ones who helped Cam adjust to a place he never wanted to be in. Somchai represents all the good traits of the Laos people and for that, he's my favorite character in this book.

"Tragedy strikes and Cam finds himself falsely accused of a crime." Tragedy struck indeed but when it happened, I was underwhelmed. I was expecting some huge nerve-wracking tragedy, but that's not what I got. Pfft.

I think my problem lies with the writing style. It's too descriptive for my taste. I prefer that the characters tell the story to me through dialogue and conversations. But in The Merit Birds, I didn't get a lot of that. It felt like the author was trying to spoonfeed the story to her readers.

The Merit Birds has a really interesting concept that promises richly diverse culture and characters and a coming-of-age story in a foreign land. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. It could have been better.

[Diesel Reads Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing style is pretty run of the mill on this one, nothing out of the ordinary to report.

I am not going to say the plot was bad in this book, because I am sure there are people out there who will really enjoy it, but it was not for me.
I felt the story line was slow to start off and it took a long time for anything to really happen.
Then finally when things did start happening, as sad as it sounds, I couldn’t bring myself to care very much.
Personally I never emotionally invested in the characters. Not saying they were badly written characters, but they were not interesting enough to drag me into their story.
When tragic things started to take place, I did not feel any emotion for them which was disappointing.
I think empathy is such a massive part of reading this story, and because I didn’t feel it for the characters, it was impossible to enjoy or get caught up in in the plot.
I was not left needing to know what happened to the characters, nor did I feel any emotions along with them as they found out things.
As a reader I like to be sucked in and feel apart of the story, but with The Merit Birds that never happened.

I did however enjoy reading the cultural aspect of the book. The traditions, the food etc. It was interesting to see a culture from the inside out, rather than as a tourist looking in.
So would I recommend this book? Well I wouldn’t outright say don’t read it. I am sure some of you will love it, but it just wasn’t for me.

[Megz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. The cover is strikingly wonderful and I was very excited to read fiction set in Laos. And to be fair, I did enjoy the setting; and felt to some extent that I could picture it and experience Vientiane through Cam’s eyes.

The major annoyance was the writing style, which was a lot of telling and not much of showing, especially on Cam’s part. I think the book would have been better if it was written entirely in the third person. Seng and Nok’s points of view, which are written such, are a lot more enjoyable. Cam’s, which is written in the first person, is pedantic.

Cam is not a likeable character at all but that did not affect my enjoyment of the book. Frankly, I think an unlikeable character adds a good dynamic to a story.

What I did not like, once again, was that Cam’s coming-of-age and personal growth are more told than shown.

There is tragedy in this novel but none of it really hits home. It seems to drift around in the ether and the author fails to make the reader FEEL it. And that is the real tragedy.

Ultimately I do think there is a place in high school libraries for this book, though. I think the diverse setting and also the male protagonist gives it some merit (hah, see what I did there?). I also expect that not all readers will be quite as critical.

Diclaimer: I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kirsti Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked: The title and cover for this book are perfect. I love that the book is set in Laos where 18 year old Cam, plagued with a hot temper, learns about who he is and who he wants to be. Cam makes suffers and makes big mistakes and eventually learns to look outside of himself. The story is told from the point of view of a brother and sister in Laos and also Cam, a Canadian who has recently moved to Lao with his self-centered mother.

What I disliked: I found the MC a little unlikable. He was a little whiny and complainy and always filled with anger. I was glad when he started to change, but for me, the change was too little and too late.

Still, this is a good look at what Laos is like and what it's like to live in a foreign country.

[Darnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for NetGalley for gave me the copy of this book in return for review

4.5/5 stars I must say
The story was so good! The cultural blend went so smooth. Cam's anger, Nok's fear and Seng's hope felt so real. I live in South East Asia and I still have a feeling that all SEA countries have their own exotisms. So does Laos who became the setting of this book. The released of bird culture to erased bad luck sound amazing. I imagined how the evening sky looked like when Cam released so many birds after the tragedy, it must be beautiful. In this book we also learned little bit of Lao language and the habits, even I kinda mixed with Thai's cultures in some part.

For those who love realism drama with exotic setting, this book is for you!

[Jean-Philippe Veilleux · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Merit Birds is a great read. The flow is good, great mother/son relation, some love intrigue and all that in the beautiful setting that is Laos.

I really loved the final part when the main character is pushed to extremes and how that situation helps him complete his arc. Very refreshing book all in all.

[booksandbark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received for review from the publisher. Original review removed.

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! It really captures the heart of living in Laos; I practically felt drenched by the humidity reading this book. The charcters are really compelling.

[Pavitra (For The Love of Fictional Worlds) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The full review will be up soon on For The Love of Fictional Worlds as well as here :)

[Sharon Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

[1]
Book Review by:Sharon Powers.
NOTE: If you would like to see the book review with all the graphics you may view them on my blog at: http://sharonsloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
_________________________________________

I grew up in the Sacramento Valley in California. I love driving down the roads smelling the different seasons as they come and go, the rice paddies, the sweet smell of harvest time as the alfalfa is cut, the corn and sunflowers harvested, and the tomatoes shipped off to the cannery. I love the wet earthy smell after a rain and crazy as it seems, I even love the dry, hot valley summer sun. And though the terrain is somewhat flat until you get to the coastal mountain range, I have come to love the wide open landscape and the many oaks that populate the valley and foothills.
[2]
I have traveled to other places, like Ireland, where the beauty of the landscape cannot be denied. Yet, I always long for home, so here I am. I live where the sights, smells, and sounds are engraved on my mind and fill my memories with their delights.

In our story, today, The Merit Birds, by Kelley Powell, we meet Cameron (Cam) who loves his home in Ottawa, Canada. Cam loves his basketball team and the welcome familiarity of the area in which he lived. And, like a plant, Cam was uprooted and planted in the alien environment of Vientiane, Laos; moreover, since Cam could not speak the language of the people of the area, didn't have his basketball team and his comfortable, familiar, homeland, Cam felt uprooted, resentful and angry. So, will Cam ever fit into this new environment? And, will he ever be able to let go of his anger?
Elgin Street, Downtown Ottawa. [3]
This is a simple little street in Vientiane, Laos. [4]
At some point in our lives most of us feel that we've been stopped from going somewhere or doing something that we really wanted to do. This may be true for most teens as they gradually grow into adulthood and want to get on with their lives. Let's see what Cam does to adjust to this new life.

SHORT SYNOPSIS OF
MERIT BIRDS:
Cam, an eighteen-year-old young man, loves Canada, and loves his Ottawa basketball team, but he doesn't love being forced from his Canadian home to live in a strange country, Laos. Cam's mother, heading for a new job in Vientiane, Laos, must take Cam with her to this strange alien country. Although moving with his mom to Laos was not an experience he looked forward to, Cam gradually began feeling more comfortable when he makes friends with a young neighborhood man named Somchai.

Merit birds for sale. These birds can die of hunger before they
even get a chance to be bought and released. Many who are
released hardly have enough energy to fly away. See article:
Bird Merit Release at Phnom Penh Riverside. [5] These birds
are like the prisoners in the story we review, The Merit Birds.
Cam begins to feel somewhat better with Somchai's friendship and, even more so, when Cam begins to fall in love with a beautiful young Southeast Asian woman by the name of Nok. Cam not only learns to accept his life as it is, but also learns about building up merit for oneself, or karma, from Nok--through the simple, soulful acts of doing good deeds for others, or by buying caged birds--often called "merit birds,"--in the market and releasing them to freedom.
One of the rules of KARMA
that Cam learns from Nok. [6]
It is just when Cam is finally settling into this life in Vientiane, acquiring a true friend and having a romance with a beautiful Southeast Asian woman, that his life takes a jarring change. Tragedy strikes, and Cam is accused of murder and jailed...now, he is like the caged birds.

What will happen to Cam? Will he face the death penalty? Cam despairs as he daily faces hunger, hard labor, and possible torture at the hands of his jailers. Little does Cam know that his freedom will only come if the murderer turns himself in and confesses.

WHAT I THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK:
When I started reading this book and read the prologue, I put the book down and tried numerous times to pick it up and begin reading again. The prologue dealt with a murderer watching a funeral procession of a character, I surmised, was a major character. I didn't want to read any more of the story. Still, I struggled with reading it for a couple of weeks, but eventually, knowing I had this blog post to publish, picked up the book and began reading again. I am not sorry I did.

In the book and movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy
is swept away by a tornado and lands in Oz.[7]
On its face, the story about Cameron (Cam) from Ottawa, uprooted and planted again in Laos, is a story that many people face, not unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, who is swept up and away by a tornado and dropped in a land of witches and munchkins. Although Cam didn't land in Oz, he did face things he did not understand and trying to communicate in a language he did not speak.

So, literally, this could be anyone facing a new situation they may not want, and having to plunge feet first into a life that feels not like home. The author gives us this very situation because she knows we all have had similar experiences, if not similar feelings; now we can identify with Cam, no matter the age of the reader. Plus, now that we know what "merit birds" are, and we know that Cam's girlfriend, Nok, taught Cam about gaining merit for himself, we might deduce that Cam will learn some painful lessons. And he does.

The author Kelley Powell, does something very beautiful with her story weaving. Since the title of the book is, The Merit Birds, we need to look very closely at the title to see what we might garner about the rest of the book. It may not sound like much of a trick, but I learned in school that authors often name their books in such a way as to name it, first, for the obvious; here, it is the poor little merit birds being sold from cages in the market.

Second, I also learned that authors use the first book naming trick to point the way to the second, or more, meanings in the story. In other words, I learned that I had to look beyond the author's obvious title and seek out a second meaning.

I have a secret tool in my arsenal that helps me determine where to look in any story. The secret question I ask myself whenever I am trying to figure out the tie-in from the title to theme threads is as follows: "Who is (or who are) the real ___________ ? In the case of Kelley Powell's book, we should ask, "Who are the real merit birds ? When I was in college and writing a paper on The Merchant of Venice, I had a much easier time by asking, "Who is the real merchant of Venice?" It helped a lot, and I got an A on my paper. Now you have a neat trick you can use to help you assess books that you read. So, now that we have this new tool, let's look at Kelly Powell's book and put the tool to practice.

From the book: This is (the monk) Sai's One Minute Breath instructions. [8]
To begin, Kelley Powell uses Cam as a vehicle to point out the main theme of the story: That we all can help save others just by putting ourselves out there at, well, whatever the cost may be, and by doing so, we can save not only others, but ourselves, as well...all are, in essence, merit birds. Who are the real merit birds?

Well, since we realize we are not just looking at the obvious reason for the title (the caged merit birds in cages in the market), we should start looking throughout the book at anyone who is in some sort of cage (physical, mental, or emotional), and someone teaching or freeing the caged bird substitute (i.e. Cam).
[9]
My personal favorite example of this trope is the monk who gains merit by teaching--and in essence freeing--Cam from his anger and self preoccupation. I don't want to mislead you, because Cam actually had many teachers in the book from Nok, and Somchai (Cam's friend), to the monk and Cam's mother. I hope you enjoy using this new tool to enrich your reading and understanding of books.

Remember that when you are seeking a theme in a novel, themes are not patently obvious; the theme is ascertained by looking at the characters in a book, action that is occurring, and perhaps even the setting of the novel. The author will not tell you what the main theme is about, it takes detective work to figure it out for yourself. This is why I have given you one little tool about the book's title to help you with finding major themes. Good luck.
[10]
Finally, I would love to tell you more because I am so excited about this book. I just can't divulge to you about what leads up to the climax or what happens in the climax, itself. I would have to give away the whole of the plot to do that. Just know that Kelley Powell writes a very realistic portrayal of life that is nothing short of high adventure, action, and a contemplative psychological portrayal of a young man growing into...himself. We also see a very realistic slice of life in Laos, as well as a realistic portrayal of a young man coming of age. [11]

MY RECOMMENDATIONS AND RATING:
This book is not one for small children or those sensitive to physical trauma, violence, and death. Those of a sensitive nature should consider the book's material before beginning reading.

RATING:
[12]
Given all the points I have addressed, above, I rate this wonderful and engaging book four stars out of five. Consider buying and reading this beautiful portrait of Canada and Laos and the wonderful and horrible people that inhabit both countries. The story is satisfying and emotionally gratifying.
[13]
Thank you for joining me this week as we got to look at a book that will be out very soon for your reading pleasure (May 2, 2015). My next blog post we will be visiting the world of the imagination and fantasy as we look at Marvel's Age of Ultron and Marvel's Age of Ultron Companion by Brian Michael Bendis. The U.S. movie release date is May 1, 2015.
I know many fans want to know about these books; I will be providing photographs of my own graphic novel and companion guide so that you will get a chance to see more about the books before you commit to purchasing it for yourself or for a family member or friend fan. Thank you, again, for visiting my blog and checking out this wonderful NetGalley book, The Merit Birds
by Kelley Powell.

Until next time...

This flower is a double white Rose of Sharon. [14]
...many happy pages of reading!

All my love,

Sharon.
_________________________________________________
REFERENCES/SOURCES
[1] "The Merit Birds." amazon.com. Retrieved 04-26-15.
[2] "DSC_3459 (web)." [Jeff Chea] [sunflowers in Sacramento Valley] flickr.com. Retrieved 04-29-15.
[3] "Elgin Street in Downtown Ottawa." [photo only] en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 04-29-15.
[4] "Experimental Travel in Vientiane, Laos." colibrist.wordpress.com. Retrieved 04-29-15.
[5] "Bird Merit Release at Phnom Penh Riverside." [12-11-12; Cambodia Birding News] Cambodiabirdingnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[6] "Karma Quotes." pinterest.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[7] "Hey Dorothy - There's an App for That!" redcrossggr.wordpress.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[*] "NetGalley." netgalley.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[8] "One Minute Breath." [10-20-14; urban yoga chicago] urbanyogachicago.org. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[9] "Theme: The Central Message." teachinginroom6.blogspot.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[10] "Be Your Own Detective." beyourowndetective.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[11] "Theme." learner.org. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[12] "Four Stars out of 5." imgbuddy.com. Retrieved 04-30-15.
[13] "Age of Ultron." [Kelley Powell] amazon.com. Retrieved 04-26-15.
[14] "Pictures From My Garden." sparkpeople.com. Retrieved 03-29-15.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is chock-full of spoilers. Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.

First of all, there isn't a good character in this entire book. I mean everyone is a horrible person. The only people who aren't horrible are Nok and Somchai and that could be because they don't actually appear that often and we don't really get to know them. Everyone else is just the worst. Who are we supposed to be cheering for in this book anyway?

Secondly, nothing really happens. It takes half the book for the major event to happen. While reading it, nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, BAM! She's dead. Nothing happens, nothing happens, JAIL, nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, RELEASED! Book done.

Lastly, do books have to pass the Bechdel Test? Because this book doesn't. Which is super annoying.

I had thought that this book was about learning how to become a better person through building merit. Well that certainly didn't happen. Cam learned nothing, even at the end he thinks about attacking the guard and stealing his gun, he doesn't use the breathing techniques he is taught, he just reverts right back to his violent ways.

The merit birds are mentioned briefly twice. When I say briefly, I mean really briefly. A passing sentence the first time, and maybe a paragraph the second time. Merit is barely talked about or explained in the book let alone being the core theme that you are led to believe it is by the title and the back blurb. It is so misleading.

Also, Cam is charged with assault causing bodily harm due to the fight at the basketball game. Did that just go away? Why was that charge dropped? That was a completely separate crime that he was totally guilty of and the family wanted him charged for it. So... we are just supposed to forget about that? I guess so. BAH! So frustrating.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this book at four stars, my reason for this is because it was very action packed and kept me interested except for a couple parts that i had to skim through. Because of this I rated the book four stars instead of five. thi s book was about the journey of 5 people from casablanca in north africa to italy. This was entertaining because a lot happened on the side while the were on the ship. I cant say much without spoiling the whole storyline but overall this was a great book and kept me entertained throughout the entire thing.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review to come!

[MsSwisis · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a small, land-locked country there seemed to be so much space. So much room in a friendship, so much time in a minute.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful and memorable