Cardboard Boy

A savvy child laborer challenges a cooperant’s set ideas.

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Theo, a dispirited workplace humanitarian, audits a boy working at a cardboard plant in a port city somewhere in Asia. He is impressed by Malak's low-key fortitude, showing a maturity beyond his scant years.

When that boy, the same age as his own son, disappears from the sweatshop, Theo cannot let it rest. His quest for answers only raises more questions about the traps of structured help and acquired privilege. Will he find Malak?  

An unsettling 11 000-words psychological drama, quietly told by multiple awards-winning author Michèle Laframboise.

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If you appreciate Jean-Christophe Rufin’s humanitarian stories, you will like Theo, a bumbling cooperant coming to terms with the real impact of his engagement.

Read Cardboard Boy to experiment our humanity’s harsh and ironic contrasts. You won’t be able to forget Malak…