Landbridge: Life in Fragments

Landbridge is a heart-breaking, life-affirming memoir of loss, survival, bearing witness, and a legacy of love. It was written by Y-Dang Troeung, the last of 60,000 Cambodian refugees admitted to Canada, and was a poster child for the benevolence of the Canadian refugee project. It is a courageous piece of life writing that grapples with the transactional relationship between a host country and its refugees, the contradictions between ethnic, regional, and national identities, and the promise of passing down a family legacy with love at its core.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Landbridge, a heart-wrenching and life-affirming memoir by Y-Dang Troeung, has profoundly impacted my understanding, love, and hopes. Written with honesty and resilience, the book explores themes of loss, survival, bearing witness, and a legacy of love.

Born in Thailand's Khao-I-Dang refugee camp, Y-Dang was one of the last 60,000 Cambodian refugees admitted to Canada, fleeing the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. In Canada, she became a symbol of the benevolence of the Canadian refugee project, inadvertently highlighting the unimaginable horrors she had escaped.

In Landbridge, Y-Dang delves into the complexities of a life lived in the shadow of pre-constructed narratives. She examines the transactional relationship between host countries and refugees, explores the contradictions between ethnic, regional, and national identities, and writes to her young son Kai with the promise that this family legacy is passed down with love at its core.

The book is written in fragmentary chapters, each illuminated by the vivid light of a single candle in a pitch-black room. It is a courageous piece of life writing, offering a profound exploration of a family's journey and a groundbreaking intervention in the way trauma and migration are told.

Landbridge has forever altered my perspective on the world, reminding me of the resilience and strength of the human spirit. It is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of acknowledging and confronting the complexities of our past. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Weight: 372g
Dimension: 204 x 140 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241648001