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rynicolereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Have you ever read a novel that feels so real you're convinced it's a memoir? Ghost Forest was like that for me. It's a coming-of-age story about life, loss, love, and grief—and apparently (lol) it's fiction. It is uniquely written (both in actual writing style and the memoir-like feel) and incredibly emotional. Emma (@bookstagr.em) yelled at me to read this small, powerful book, and now I'm yelling at all of you to read it, too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
adelineania's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Child death
tiemzahra's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The author belongs to a family with “astronaut” father, where he stayed in Hong Kong for work, while the rest of the family immigrated to Canada. Leading to her father’s death, the author struggled with unresolved questions and misunderstandings, and upon revisiting these memories with her mother and grandmother, she realised her life has taken a better turn due to their bleaker ones.
This book hit a little close to home. How do you grieve for the family who didn’t share their feelings? From the perspectives of the author, the mother, and the grandmother, who in turned shared their experiences, in a way giving answers to the author. It was relatable - the author remembered her childhood trauma and sought explanation from her parents. This is a story of forgiveness towards your parents, understanding them and their choices better when you’ve grown up.
Not everyone will get the author’s chance. Some never get closure, some realised way too late, and some still find it hard to forgive, and in my opinion, each one of them is okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
emilyeehaw's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
this was a solid book! i’m torn bc while i enjoyed the format of this novel, short vignette style fragments of what the characters were going through, part of me wishes there was more meat to the story. but then it seems like that would defeat the whole purpose of the writing style and the choices the author made regarding what to include. WHO KNOWS!
overall, the author did a great job of weaving together the elements of this main character’s relationship to her family, especially her ailing father. i liked the depiction of how nuanced and complicated family relationships can be. the main character loved her dad and was there for him when he was sick but also held onto a lot of the disappointment and hurt that was caused by him earlier in her life. and i thought the topic of grief was explored really well throughout the novel.
overall, the author did a great job of weaving together the elements of this main character’s relationship to her family, especially her ailing father. i liked the depiction of how nuanced and complicated family relationships can be. the main character loved her dad and was there for him when he was sick but also held onto a lot of the disappointment and hurt that was caused by him earlier in her life. and i thought the topic of grief was explored really well throughout the novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
meemawreads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This 2021 debut by Pik-Shuen Fung was on my library’s New shelf and I’m so grateful I wandered in and found it there. It reads like memory, it looks like poetry and it boils over with feeling.
The narrator of this story moves with her family to Canada from Hong Kong in the 90s, leaving behind an “astronaut dad” - a term invented to describe men who stayed behind to keep their jobs while their families left ahead of Britain’s return of Hong Kong to China. The chapters are short and not necessarily chronological, giving the book an almost stream-of-consciousness feeling. Y’all know I love an audiobook but I HIGHLY recommend a physical copy of this one: the way the pages are formatted makes a difference in how this book is experienced. Words are placed with artistic intention. Empty space matters.
Speaking of empty space, this book will resonate with anyone who felt distant from their dad. Strong warning, it features illness and hospitals and death. It harnesses deep grief, so not everyone will be in a space to receive it. I was, and was so touched by the opportunity to learn about the funeral practices of another culture while deeply connecting with the common experience of loss. I can’t recommend it enough, I devoured it in one day, and I bequeath it a full 5 taters! 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔/🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔
The narrator of this story moves with her family to Canada from Hong Kong in the 90s, leaving behind an “astronaut dad” - a term invented to describe men who stayed behind to keep their jobs while their families left ahead of Britain’s return of Hong Kong to China. The chapters are short and not necessarily chronological, giving the book an almost stream-of-consciousness feeling. Y’all know I love an audiobook but I HIGHLY recommend a physical copy of this one: the way the pages are formatted makes a difference in how this book is experienced. Words are placed with artistic intention. Empty space matters.
Speaking of empty space, this book will resonate with anyone who felt distant from their dad. Strong warning, it features illness and hospitals and death. It harnesses deep grief, so not everyone will be in a space to receive it. I was, and was so touched by the opportunity to learn about the funeral practices of another culture while deeply connecting with the common experience of loss. I can’t recommend it enough, I devoured it in one day, and I bequeath it a full 5 taters! 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔/🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent
ranaafathii's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As someone who also dealt with an absent parental figure, this book took a knife to my heart. So well done, so no-bs-to-the-point, and even though it was only a 4-hour audiobook I had to only listen to a few chunks at a time. I'm excited to see what Pik-Shuen Fung will come out with next because I can feel her sit next to Celeste Ng for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
painausten314's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Chronic illness
drawmeabookreview's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
paperknotbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The format does something to give this book a unique narrative voice. While quiet and reflective, the book is so beautifully written, the plot settles in with familiarity. This feels like autofiction.
Some of my favorite quotes:
Some of my favorite quotes:
There is a Cantonese saying my dad liked—I think he wrote it himself. He said: Before age forty, we use our health to make money. But after forty, money can’t buy back our health.
That must have been hard for you, not having him around.
Twenty-one days after my dad died, a bird perched on the railing of my balcony. It was brown. It stayed there for a long time.
Hi dad, I said. Thanks for checking up on me.
Dad, what’s your favorite color? my sister asked a few minutes later.
Brown, my dad said, eyes still closed.
My sister and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Later my sister said, Who says their favorite color is brown?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage
atenderwitch's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Chronic illness