Fiction

Ghost Forest

Ghost Forest

  • Downloads：7638
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-19 06:52:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Pik-Shuen Fung
  • ISBN：0593230965
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

How do you grieve， if your family doesn't talk about feelings？

This is the question the unnamed protagonist of Ghost Forest considers after her father dies。 One of the many Hong Kong "astronaut" fathers， he stays there to work， while the rest of the family immigrated to Canada before the 1997 Handover， when the British returned sovereignty over Hong Kong to China。

As she revisits memories of her father through the years， she struggles with unresolved questions and misunderstandings。 Turning to her mother and grandmother for answers， she discovers her own life refracted brightly in theirs。

Buoyant， heartbreaking， and unexpectedly funny， Ghost Forest is a slim novel that envelops the reader in joy and sorrow。 Fung writes with a poetic and haunting voice， layering detail and abstraction， weaving memory and oral history to paint a moving portrait of a Chinese-Canadian astronaut family。

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Reviews

Karen ，

4。5 This is a good book to read when you have a block of time and can keep turning the page。 Sobering！This so reminds me of the Margo affair， the book I just finished， because both deal with the daughter’s perception of her parents。

Theresa ，

beautiful。 heart-wrenching。

Alyssa ，

Truly inspiring， and full of snippets of Chinese culture。 I enjoyed it。

Amanda ，

⭐⭐⭐⭐ *2021 New Release* We never learn the name of the protagonist/narrator who shares memories of her family， specifically those of her father。 This narrator is a young Chinese-Canadian woman whose astronaut family struggles with closeness and emotional openness; （the term astronaut family is a reference to the father working in Hong Kong while the rest of the family lives in Canada）。 Over the course of the book， the narrator’s father becomes very sick and the storytelling is focused on memorie ⭐⭐⭐⭐ *2021 New Release* We never learn the name of the protagonist/narrator who shares memories of her family， specifically those of her father。 This narrator is a young Chinese-Canadian woman whose astronaut family struggles with closeness and emotional openness; （the term astronaut family is a reference to the father working in Hong Kong while the rest of the family lives in Canada）。 Over the course of the book， the narrator’s father becomes very sick and the storytelling is focused on memories of him and the narrator during this time and after， with some from her earlier childhood。There were several times that I had to pause， even though the book is slim （some chapters are only a few paragraphs long）。 At first these short chapter lengths bothered me。 As the story progressed， though， I thought of Ghost Forest as a journal， with the protagonist highlighting significant heartwarming and heartbreaking memories， cover to cover。 The writing is rather simple prose which packs emotional punches。51/100 2021 Reads 。。。more

Tess ，

Oooof， this book was a total punch in the gut。 It is short， and it almost reads as a poem; lyrical and heartbreaking with quick chapters and uniquely short paragraphs。 GHOST FOREST is about a family from Hong Kong coming to terms with the impending death of their father， and learning how to grieve within a family that doesn't show emotions or show love to one another in obvious ways。 It is a quiet and wrenching depiction of grief， a portrayal of immigration from Hong Kong to Canada， and how disc Oooof， this book was a total punch in the gut。 It is short， and it almost reads as a poem; lyrical and heartbreaking with quick chapters and uniquely short paragraphs。 GHOST FOREST is about a family from Hong Kong coming to terms with the impending death of their father， and learning how to grieve within a family that doesn't show emotions or show love to one another in obvious ways。 It is a quiet and wrenching depiction of grief， a portrayal of immigration from Hong Kong to Canada， and how discovering stories about your family （particularly the women in your family） can dictate the person who you try to become today。 。。。more

ry ，

心如水； heart like water;with a single line， you can paint the ocean

Randi ，

Ghost Forest is written in a series of vignettes， with a style similar to Sandra Cisnero's The House on Mango Street。 It is simple - the lack of punctuation makes it feel like reading the protagonist's thoughts， hearing as she hear stories told to them about her family's hardships， their lives before she was born。There is an emotion so heavy， so true， behind this book。 The idea of knowing someone your whole life， no matter how distant， and having one opinion of them， that when suddenly they are Ghost Forest is written in a series of vignettes， with a style similar to Sandra Cisnero's The House on Mango Street。 It is simple - the lack of punctuation makes it feel like reading the protagonist's thoughts， hearing as she hear stories told to them about her family's hardships， their lives before she was born。There is an emotion so heavy， so true， behind this book。 The idea of knowing someone your whole life， no matter how distant， and having one opinion of them， that when suddenly they are sick， when they are dying， you realize that maybe you had been looking at them the wrong way the whole time - and the idea that you don't notice until they are gone and you can't go back and fix it - go back and forgive them and yourself - is such a difficult emotion to bear， but not one that is exclusive to the author。I cried a couple times while reading this， and I will read this again， just so maybe I can feel that again。  。。。more

Deedi Brown （DeediReads） ，

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:Ghost Forest is a beautiful， reflective little book on the immigrant experience and the loss of a parent。 I thought it was really beautiful。For you if: You like novels told in vignettes。FULL REVIEW:First， thank you One World for the review copy of this book on NetGalley。 One World’s books never let me down， and Ghost Forest was no exception。Sparsely written and told entirely in vignettes， Ghost Forest almost doesn’t even feel l All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:Ghost Forest is a beautiful， reflective little book on the immigrant experience and the loss of a parent。 I thought it was really beautiful。For you if: You like novels told in vignettes。FULL REVIEW:First， thank you One World for the review copy of this book on NetGalley。 One World’s books never let me down， and Ghost Forest was no exception。Sparsely written and told entirely in vignettes， Ghost Forest almost doesn’t even feel like a novel。 It’s written as a reflection on the narrator’s experiences as the daughter of an “astronaut father” （one who lived and worked in Hong Kong while his family emigrated elsewhere） and his later death by cancer。 It’s also an homage to the women in her family — most particularly， her mother and grandmother， whose stories she became truly curious about only after her father died。This is a book that would be easy to inhale but begs to be savored。 I did read it in one sitting， but I had to force myself to read the words slowly and give each vignette a moment to sit with me before moving to the next one。 It’s worth it — if you rush through this book， you’ll get little from it。 Its power is in the quiet moments， the in-between unsaid things。I was particularly struck by the portion of the novel where she describes her father’s funeral。 She and her sister experienced their family’s funeral traditions for the first time， trying so desperately to get them right while also processing the loss they’d just endured。 It is hard to hold both of those things in your mind at the same time。There is no plot here， but it doesn’t need it。 If you’re a fan of literary fiction or memoir， pick this one up。 What an impressive debut。CONTENT WARNINGS:Cancer; Death of a parent 。。。more

Catherine ，

I love the way this book was written， in slices of memories and moments that were so visceral。 For Chinese diaspora， the pages of this book will feel familiar to you。 This story is so different than mine， but still I could see fragments of my life， my family， being told。 I laughed in so many sections， being reminded of the silliness of my own family， and cried （a lot） in other sections when tragedy finally takes hold in the unnamed main character’s life。 Be weary: if you’re triggered by family d I love the way this book was written， in slices of memories and moments that were so visceral。 For Chinese diaspora， the pages of this book will feel familiar to you。 This story is so different than mine， but still I could see fragments of my life， my family， being told。 I laughed in so many sections， being reminded of the silliness of my own family， and cried （a lot） in other sections when tragedy finally takes hold in the unnamed main character’s life。 Be weary: if you’re triggered by family deaths （especially the death of a parent）， or long term hospital stays， maybe revisit this book at another time as both are major parts of the novel。 Overall， a beautiful read！ I’m excited to see what else Pik-Sheun Fung has in store for us。 。。。more

Rebekah ，

Although well-written and I personally enjoy the vignette form of this novel， I think the short length of the individual "chapters" and the book itself prevents the narrative from digging deep into any concepts about grief。 I did enjoy this book， but it was very surface level for me。 Interested to see what Pik-Shuen Fung will write next！ Although well-written and I personally enjoy the vignette form of this novel， I think the short length of the individual "chapters" and the book itself prevents the narrative from digging deep into any concepts about grief。 I did enjoy this book， but it was very surface level for me。 Interested to see what Pik-Shuen Fung will write next！ 。。。more

Katie ，

The author tells the story of her life， growing up in Canada with her mom and sisters while her father worked in Hong Kong， through short vignettes， a snapshot of a moment in time or a conversation that took place。 The writing is simple and straightforward， not flowery or overly analytical。 As her father's health deteriorates， the women in the family spend time with him and each other， learning about the past and how it has shaped them into who they are today。Thanks to NetGalley and One World fo The author tells the story of her life， growing up in Canada with her mom and sisters while her father worked in Hong Kong， through short vignettes， a snapshot of a moment in time or a conversation that took place。 The writing is simple and straightforward， not flowery or overly analytical。 As her father's health deteriorates， the women in the family spend time with him and each other， learning about the past and how it has shaped them into who they are today。Thanks to NetGalley and One World for my advance copy。 。。。more

Leeah ，

If I had another day with my mom， I’d tell her about my husband， our new house， our quirky dog。 I’d tell her I loved her and tell her all about my wedding and how I had no first dance because it couldn’t be with her。 We’d eat pizza for dinner and she’d fall asleep on the couch。 There’s not enough time， especially with those nearest and dearest。 What an incredible book。

Dinneread ，

I really liked it， the short-story collection about Hong Kong-Canadians， how they told being an immigrant， getting sick and worried the medicine wouldn't work at all。 The family also had well-portrait in the writings。 Also， I love the astronaut family metaphor invented as flying here， flying there。But， I'm still giving out them 3，3 stars。 I really liked it， the short-story collection about Hong Kong-Canadians， how they told being an immigrant， getting sick and worried the medicine wouldn't work at all。 The family also had well-portrait in the writings。 Also， I love the astronaut family metaphor invented as flying here， flying there。But， I'm still giving out them 3，3 stars。 。。。more

Katelyn ，

so much was packed into this little book， it will make you feel it all

Peachie ，

Reading other reviews， I recognize I should have rated this higher。 But unfortunately I live in 'Merica， and have seen first hand how selfish a**holes live their lives in total disregard of others and only when they are dying do they expect others to dredge up concern and pity for them。 As you might have guessed， this book only stirred up anger in me。 Sorry Pik-Shuen Fung。 Reading other reviews， I recognize I should have rated this higher。 But unfortunately I live in 'Merica， and have seen first hand how selfish a**holes live their lives in total disregard of others and only when they are dying do they expect others to dredge up concern and pity for them。 As you might have guessed， this book only stirred up anger in me。 Sorry Pik-Shuen Fung。 。。。more

lex ，

an asian generational trauma is so quiet but full regrets。

T ，

A novel consisting of many insubstantial chapters of a few paragraphs。 I am drawn to tales of new immigrant experiences but this had superficial characters。 I usually like novels in this type of format， but not in this case。 Many Hong Kong residents left for Canada in 1997 before the turnover， and this novel depicts the life of one family。 It reads like auto-fiction。 Has an attractive cover。2。5

Jolynne ，

A beautiful tribute to generations， family， memories， and grief。

Serena ，

I cried for the beauty， tradition， guilt， regret， longing and love。

Tracy Trofimencoff ，

This book was culturally fascinating。 I learned so much about Chinese culture and rituals around death and dying。 I really liked the unnamed protagonist as she navigated her relationship with not only her father （which is the heart of the novel）， but also her mother and her grandmother （the grandmother is a firecracker of a character！）。 Fung writes a really good debut novel weaving together a unique writing style and heart-felt characters。 And on a personal level， I very much related to her rela This book was culturally fascinating。 I learned so much about Chinese culture and rituals around death and dying。 I really liked the unnamed protagonist as she navigated her relationship with not only her father （which is the heart of the novel）， but also her mother and her grandmother （the grandmother is a firecracker of a character！）。 Fung writes a really good debut novel weaving together a unique writing style and heart-felt characters。 And on a personal level， I very much related to her relationship with her father， as it mirrored much of my own relationship with my dad and his journey into death。 As a reader， I appreciated that personal connection that Fung was able to articulate so well。 I look forward to her next book。 。。。more

Yanique Gillana ，

This book made me cry。。。。 beautiful and heartbreaking。

Salty Swift ，

Ghost Forest is a personal take on a multigenerational family， where the father works and lives in Hong Kong， while the remainder live in Vancouver。 As the father gets sick， the close family bonds come shining through。 Moving and effective portrayal of family squabbles， love and understanding。

Ashley ，

4。5 rounded upThere’s a lot of feels packed into this little book。 Ghost Forest is told in a series of vignettes。 Our unnamed narrator shares her upbringing as the daughter of an “astronaut parent。” When her family decides to leave China for Canada in the 90s， her father stays behind to work and provide a better life for them。The relationship between the narrator and her father is largely what this book is about。 The vignettes share looks into their relationship throughout her life and leading u 4。5 rounded upThere’s a lot of feels packed into this little book。 Ghost Forest is told in a series of vignettes。 Our unnamed narrator shares her upbringing as the daughter of an “astronaut parent。” When her family decides to leave China for Canada in the 90s， her father stays behind to work and provide a better life for them。The relationship between the narrator and her father is largely what this book is about。 The vignettes share looks into their relationship throughout her life and leading up to the aftermath of his death。 In his life， she struggles to communicate her feelings toward him and in his death she thinks about her unwillingness to forgive him in life。 It was a moving story that also highlights the difficulties faced with living two very different cultures。 。。。more

Awallens ，

Round up to 4。5 stars。 This is a short novel told in vignettes。 Some are just a few sentences long。 About grief， and how a family who doesn't show emotions shows it。 Very powerful。 Round up to 4。5 stars。 This is a short novel told in vignettes。 Some are just a few sentences long。 About grief， and how a family who doesn't show emotions shows it。 Very powerful。 。。。more

Reg Sardothien ，

3。5。ft。 my unshed tears。

Kiersten ，

I picked Ghost Forest up on a whim when I saw it on display at Barnes & Noble the other day。 I hadn’t heard of it and didn’t know anything about the plot， but thought the cover and the title were gorgeous， and I’m so glad I did because this book was beautiful and heartbreaking and so wonderfully written。 Ghost Forest is relatively short - only about 250 pages and broken into very short chapters that range from 1-5 pages each。 The book itself is about a Chinese-Canadian woman coping with her rela I picked Ghost Forest up on a whim when I saw it on display at Barnes & Noble the other day。 I hadn’t heard of it and didn’t know anything about the plot， but thought the cover and the title were gorgeous， and I’m so glad I did because this book was beautiful and heartbreaking and so wonderfully written。 Ghost Forest is relatively short - only about 250 pages and broken into very short chapters that range from 1-5 pages each。 The book itself is about a Chinese-Canadian woman coping with her relationship with her father first as she immigrates to Canada with her mom， sister， and grandmother while he stays behind in Hong Kong， then as an adult and， later， as he gets sick and dies。 Fung writes beautifully about the protagonist’s difficult relationship with her father， focusing in particular on the ways they and her family as a whole don’t communicate their frustrations， their anger， or even their love verbally。 This book made me tear up more than once， and I bookmarked a few sections that I particularly loved。 In particular， there’s one section towards the end of the book， after the protagonist’s father has passed away， when Fung writes “Why did I remember only his disappointment in me？ Did I ever get to know who he was becoming？ Did I try？” Because of the book’s organization into short chapters， I might refer to it as a quick/easy read we’re the plot different。 As it was， I thought this light and easy structure worked well with the heavy subject matter。 。。。more

Lexi ，

This book was beautiful and heartbreaking。 The audiobook is read by the author and I’d recommend listening

Hannah Nagle ，

-gorgeous writing-I enjoyed the short vignettes-the portions on grief were so well written， I felt like I could truly connect with the character-I enjoyed learning about the cultural aspects of grief that are so different from my own-I loved reading about Chinese culture （specifically the art styles！）， this was so fascinating and added so much to the story-can't wait to see what else Pik-Shuen Fung produces in the future！ -gorgeous writing-I enjoyed the short vignettes-the portions on grief were so well written， I felt like I could truly connect with the character-I enjoyed learning about the cultural aspects of grief that are so different from my own-I loved reading about Chinese culture （specifically the art styles！）， this was so fascinating and added so much to the story-can't wait to see what else Pik-Shuen Fung produces in the future！ 。。。more

The Bibliomaniac ，

This was a beautiful book。 I have never read a book with this type of writing format。 The writing was stunning and poetic。 I admire the entire story and the message of it。

Elaine Tronic ，

This novel reads like an excellent memoir。 A 30-something daughter goes through the illness and death of her father， which whom she had a distant and difficult relationship。 Really enjoyed the spare prose and use of white space on the pages to convey atmosphere beyond the words themselves。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ghost Forest

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ghost Forest&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ghost Forest&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0