Diving Deep, Going Far by Menno de Block & Chan Kunthea: book review

Diving Deep, Going Far: Stories of the Women Leaders Forming Cambodia’s Future (2018) is a fictional account of four women in Cambodia.

The author, a Dutch man living in Cambodia, interviewed 25 Cambodian women, aged 20-36 years old, and distilled their factual narratives into a composite picture of four fictional women, in cooperation with Chan Kunthea, a women’s rights activist. The names of the real 25 women appear at the end of the book.

Each story is based on a minimum of two of the real women, and therefore represent real situations while remaining anonymous.

The four young fictional women are Nary, Nika, Sokin, and Ratana. Each woman narrates her own story in the first person. Nary is the first and main narrator.

Each one of them tells of their struggles while trying to conform to a traditional ideal that they reject, and how they paved their own path to reach their dreams and aspirations.

Initially, I was sceptical about the approach and style of writing. However, the stories are seamless and well-told, with poignant and personal challenges from a life in rural poverty to the attainment of a university degree or the career of their dreams. I particularly liked the account of Ratana, a radio DJ.

Their hopes of equality, their bold actions, and their perseverance in adversity, carry them forward to leadership roles and positions of influence, sometimes with the support of colleagues, friends, and family, and sometimes without. Throughout their lives, their nation is rapidly changing, politically, socially, and economically. Their stories go beyond the initial 25 women and represent a wider community of leaders shaping Cambodia’s future. It’s an interesting book.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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