The Fugitive of Battambang: Royal Reincarnation and Khmer Secrets at the Heart of David Roncin’s Novel

Battambang, Cambodia — In 1999, a nine-year-old girl from a humble background electrified the nation by claiming to be the reincarnation of Princess Sisanmoni, who disappeared in 1975 under the Khmer Rouge. She went further, asserting, “I know the name of my killer,” igniting a supernatural manhunt that blurs history and myth.

Plot: Past and Present Collide

In Phnom Penh, 2022, French traveler Rainier Le Guellec, driven by ambiguous motives, finds an abandoned bag in a park. Inside are an identity card, a mystical amulet, and documents linked to Soy Kunthea — last seen in Kampot. Joined by a young Cham woman he meets along the way, Le Guellec is drawn into a Cambodia haunted by its own demons: the genocide, a forgotten royal palace, and deep-rooted animist beliefs. Roncin’s narrative weaves gritty slums, lush rice fields, and traditional krama scarves into a suspenseful investigation where the legacies of the Khmer Rouge and ancestral spirits shape the journey.

David Roncin: A Self-Taught Cambodian at Heart

Lyon-born and self-taught, David Roncin has been a committed traveler since his youth. After spending years in Vietnam teaching French and working various jobs, he discovered Cambodia in 2002 — an encounter that left an enduring mark due to the country’s turbulent history and Khmer resilience.

Back in Lyon, Roncin dedicates two hours each day to writing, balancing a salaried job with his calling as a novelist. His Cambodian-themed trilogy has garnered attention for its immersive quality. His first novel, La déesse Apsara, blends Angkorian mystery with corruption and suspense. The second, Kampuchéa Résilience : Stigmates de S-21, takes readers into the harrowing confines of Tuol Sleng prison, confronting survivors and perpetrators alike. The Fugitive of Battambang, the third installment, completes this literary arc: Roncin, captivated by colonial Battambang, threads together themes of reincarnation and retribution amid forgotten palaces and ethnically diverse communities.

Gope Éditions: A Window into an Intimate Asia

Published by independent house Gope Éditions, known for promoting Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Cambodian contemporary fiction, The Fugitive of Battambang will be released in hardcover (334 pages) at €21 on December 29, 2025. Marketed as an immersive “Khmer novel,” the book is described as perfect for readers who enjoy exotic, atmospheric storytelling that navigates between the lyrical introspection of The Lover and contemporary Asian thrillers.

Roncin’s engaging prose includes excerpts from the prologue — from overcrowded homes to dramatic nocturnal assaults and a train journey toward Kampot — all imbued with local color and a palpable sense of place. Far from casting judgment, the novel illuminates the scars carried by a people and invites readers to discover Battambang, a jewel of northwest Cambodia beyond its usual tourist image.

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