Genre Fiction
![Kevin Jared Hosein - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_kevin_jared_hosein.jpg)
Hungry Ghosts: A Novel
"This is a deeply impressive book, and I think an important one. Its intensity, its narrative attack, the fascinations of its era and setting, make it impossible to tear the attention away. Energy and inventiveness distinguish every page." - Hilary Mantel
From an unforgettable new voice in Caribbean literature, a sweeping story of two families colliding in 1940s Trinidad-and a chilling mystery that shows how interconnected their lives truly are
Trinidad in the 1940s, nearing the end of American occupation and British colonialism. On a hill overlooking Bell Village sits the Changoor farm, where Dalton and Marlee Changoor live in luxury unrecognizable to those who reside in the farm's shadow. Down below is the Barrack, a ramshackle building of wood and tin, divided into rooms occupied by whole families. Among these families are the Saroops-Hans, Shweta, and their son, Krishna, all three born of the barracks. Theirs are hard lives of backbreaking work, grinding poverty, devotion to faith, and a battle against nature and a social structure designed to keep them where they are.
But when Dalton goes missing and Marlee's safety is compromised, farmhand Hans is lured by the promise of a handsome stipend to move to the farm as a watchman. As the mystery of Dalton's disappearance unfolds, the lives of the wealthy couple and those who live in the barracks below become insidiously entwined, their community changed forever and in shocking ways.
A searing and singular novel of religion, class, family, and historical violence, and rooted in Trinidad's wild pastoral landscape and inspired by oral storytelling traditions, Hungry Ghosts is deeply resonant of its time and place while evoking the roots and ripple effects of generational trauma and linked histories; the lingering resentments, sacrifices, and longings that alter destinies; and the consequences of powerlessness. Lyrically told and rendered with harrowing beauty, Hungry Ghosts is a stunning piece of storytelling and an affecting mystery, from a blazingly talented writer.
From an unforgettable new voice in Caribbean literature, a sweeping story of two families colliding in 1940s Trinidad-and a chilling mystery that shows how interconnected their lives truly are
Trinidad in the 1940s, nearing the end of American occupation and British colonialism. On a hill overlooking Bell Village sits the Changoor farm, where Dalton and Marlee Changoor live in luxury unrecognizable to those who reside in the farm's shadow. Down below is the Barrack, a ramshackle building of wood and tin, divided into rooms occupied by whole families. Among these families are the Saroops-Hans, Shweta, and their son, Krishna, all three born of the barracks. Theirs are hard lives of backbreaking work, grinding poverty, devotion to faith, and a battle against nature and a social structure designed to keep them where they are.
But when Dalton goes missing and Marlee's safety is compromised, farmhand Hans is lured by the promise of a handsome stipend to move to the farm as a watchman. As the mystery of Dalton's disappearance unfolds, the lives of the wealthy couple and those who live in the barracks below become insidiously entwined, their community changed forever and in shocking ways.
A searing and singular novel of religion, class, family, and historical violence, and rooted in Trinidad's wild pastoral landscape and inspired by oral storytelling traditions, Hungry Ghosts is deeply resonant of its time and place while evoking the roots and ripple effects of generational trauma and linked histories; the lingering resentments, sacrifices, and longings that alter destinies; and the consequences of powerlessness. Lyrically told and rendered with harrowing beauty, Hungry Ghosts is a stunning piece of storytelling and an affecting mystery, from a blazingly talented writer.
Editorial Reviews
"This is a deeply impressive book, and I think an important one. Its intensity, its narrative attack, the fascinations of its era and setting, make it impossible to tear the attention away. Energy and inventiveness distinguish every page." - Hilary Mantel
"Hungry Ghosts is beautiful, biblical, vast in scope and power, ringing with an energy that blasts from the intricate language. Hosein is a new giant of fiction." - Daisy Johnson, author of Sisters and Everything Under
"Kevin Jared Hosein's majestic and sinuous command of language summons the lush landscape of 1940s Trinidad as it wrestles with the poisonous legacy of colonialism. The characters at the center of Hungry Ghosts are suffused with a longing that is palpable on the page and haunts you long after reading. Hosein has written a singular, powerful novel." - Chanelle Benz, author of The Gone Dead
"The biggest, most frightening, beautiful, and alive novel I've read in as long as I can remember." - Evie Wyld, author of The Bass Rock
"Hungry Ghosts is an astonishing book--linguistically gorgeous, narratively propulsive, and psychologically profound." - Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other
"Hosein... sensitively teases apart the tangled web of class and religion and emphasizes the hard choices the powerless routinely live with." - Booklist (starred review)
"In Hungry Ghosts, Kevin Jared Hosein takes a small place, a particular slice of Trinidad and writes it with the depth and scope that it deserves. And he does it because he knows it - truly, deeply. The result is a story that is harrowing, fiercely beautiful and deeply human. I won't soon forget these characters or this story. I think we are going to be talking about this book for a long time to come." - Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, author of When We Were Birds
"A vibrant portrait...Hosein evokes all this in rich, visceral language...His story, often brutal, ultim...
"Hungry Ghosts is beautiful, biblical, vast in scope and power, ringing with an energy that blasts from the intricate language. Hosein is a new giant of fiction." - Daisy Johnson, author of Sisters and Everything Under
"Kevin Jared Hosein's majestic and sinuous command of language summons the lush landscape of 1940s Trinidad as it wrestles with the poisonous legacy of colonialism. The characters at the center of Hungry Ghosts are suffused with a longing that is palpable on the page and haunts you long after reading. Hosein has written a singular, powerful novel." - Chanelle Benz, author of The Gone Dead
"The biggest, most frightening, beautiful, and alive novel I've read in as long as I can remember." - Evie Wyld, author of The Bass Rock
"Hungry Ghosts is an astonishing book--linguistically gorgeous, narratively propulsive, and psychologically profound." - Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other
"Hosein... sensitively teases apart the tangled web of class and religion and emphasizes the hard choices the powerless routinely live with." - Booklist (starred review)
"In Hungry Ghosts, Kevin Jared Hosein takes a small place, a particular slice of Trinidad and writes it with the depth and scope that it deserves. And he does it because he knows it - truly, deeply. The result is a story that is harrowing, fiercely beautiful and deeply human. I won't soon forget these characters or this story. I think we are going to be talking about this book for a long time to come." - Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, author of When We Were Birds
"A vibrant portrait...Hosein evokes all this in rich, visceral language...His story, often brutal, ultim...
Readers Top Reviews
Janalyn
After I read the summary I was so excited to read this book but after I got three chapters and I was just exhausted. They had so many extra words end in one sentence you could get sent in 10 different directions I found the basic story a very interesting one but think the execution of the story just was way too much. I’m sure they have a few Doctorit students that would enjoy this book and those who love looking up words in a thesaurus but as for me a simple reader and reviewer it was all too much. I did like the dialect that was indigenous to the area and had The author stuck with simple terms and explanations this would’ve been a great book because what I understood was very interesting but using words that only those who enjoyed dead languages and antique dictionaries should’ve been something the editor warned him about. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
