But despite these circumstances, they exhibit an utterly dogged determination to get through their days and to survive. From the outset, the novel underscores the continuing cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity for these boys and their families: they live there, work there, and are so infused with the grot and grime of the tip that its impossible for anyone to see them as anything other than tip boys. Set at the Behala rubbish dump, it follows the lives of three boys whose lives are inextricably tied to the tip. Its this exactly that Andy Mulligans Trash'examines. What struck us most about these people was that they seemed to be part of an endless cycle: living at barely a subsistance level, and with little access to health care or education, how was anyone supposed to rise above their present situation? They were collecting small pieces of salveagable materialtin cans, bits of plastic, paperthat could be returned for a small sum. As we did, we were surprised by the amount of activity going on around us: dozens of people, from the very young to the very old, were picking through the rubbish in the gutters or that had accumulated in stacks around the orchards. When my husband and I were holidaying in Indonesia last year we went out for an early morning walk along the roads and fruit plantations.
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