THE GOLDEN VOICE

Cahill and Baumann dramatize the life of a Cambodian singer against the backdrop of war and revolution in this graphic novel.

In Battambang, Cambodia, in the year 1967, singer Ros Serey Sothea, known to her family as Little Cricket, has been making her name around town, performing at weddings and talent shows despite her periodic bouts of stage fright. Music is a fun distraction from her day job boiling and selling snails, not to mention the political violence that has gripped the country. When she’s offered the opportunity to sing on Cambodia’s National Radio, she goes against her mother’s wishes and runs off to the capital, Phnom Penh. Soon she has a top radio hit and is performing for the Cambodian royal family. Her rising star breeds resentment in some of the other radio performers, including crooner Sos Mat (whom she nevertheless agrees to marry). When the royal family is ousted in an American-backed coup, Ros finds herself forced to write patriotic songs for the new regime. The new political reality doesn’t prevent Ros’ star from rising even higher, though it does wreak havoc on her personal and romantic life. As disruptive as the new government is, however, it is nothing compared to the one waiting in the wings—the brutal communist regime known as the Khmer Rouge. Cahill and Baumann bring Ros’s story to life with subtlety and grace. The writing is economical but effective at capturing the characters’ various personalities. “I think big city living made little cricket soft,” Ros’s mischievous brother tells her when she returns briefly to work on the family farm. “I can just picture you sitting in a French cafe ordering expensive coffee and saying ‘ooh la la.’ ” Baumann’s art is particularly stunning, rendering the shiny studios of Phnom Penh and the green of the countryside in vivid color. Ros’ brilliant but short life makes for an excellent avenue to explore this tumultuous period of Cambodian history and demonstrates the ways that music can capture the spirit of a people—even after the musician is gone.

A compelling graphic novel documenting a lost musical history.