July 22, Kampu Mera launched the novella A Few Acres of Snow by LinDa Saphan in Bophana Center in Phnom Penh.
The novella is available here in paperback and ebook.
A Few Acres of Snow is a quiet, emotionally resonant novella that traces the coming-of-age of Chenda, a Cambodian girl growing up in a country that never quite feels like home, Canada.
Told in a series of episodic chapters, each capturing a single day from different points in Chenda’s childhood and adolescence, the story reveals how memory, language, and identity are shaped over time. From her earliest days in a foreign classroom, where she struggles to make sense of unfamiliar words and the silent judgments of teachers, to her teenage years, where friendship, loyalty, and belonging become increasingly complex, Chenda’s world is drawn with compassion and precision.
Through these vignettes, readers witness the gradual untangling of Chenda’s memories as her command of language grows stronger. With each passing chapter, she begins to understand not just the words around her, but the unspoken dynamics beneath them, the coded prejudices of educators, the casual racism of peers, and the quiet acts of kindness that sustain her.
As Chenda grows, she begins to recognize who is truly in her corner and who sees her only through the lens of difference. Her desire to belong is a constant thread, sometimes a source of hope, sometimes of heartbreak. Yet even amid confusion and isolation, she remains observant, curious, and quietly resilient.
In the novella’s poignant final chapter, a secret is revealed, something her mother and older sister assumed she had always known. This discovery not only redefines her understanding of her family’s past but also reframes her entire experience of growing up between worlds.
A Few Acres of Snow is a story about displacement and belonging, the silence between generations, and the power of language to both isolate and connect. Through Chenda’s eyes, we glimpse the quiet strength it takes to grow up when the world around you insists you’re an outsider and the small, deeply human moments that make that journey bearable.
I am humbled to be part of a conversation with a group of incredibly talented Southeast Asian voices who are doing amazing work. 
. You *do not* want to miss it! 
