A review by tiemzahra
Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

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. 
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