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mel_baldock'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
ghost forest is an elegy to the author's deceased father and a meditation on family. it's a sparse book both in form and content, but also a remarkably relatable one esp in regards to the asian family dynamics, things both said and unsaid, mourning for family lost, and fung's attempts - and failure - to learn more abt her family members as full, fleshed out individuals. it's like seeing my own life imprinted in this book.
there are moments where the truth of the author's words are so searing it brings me to tears, or so astonish me for the mere fact that another human feels the same way i do. while this book's emotional impact subtly ebbs and flows and there isnt much of a plot, it def serves as a great reminder of the fleetingness of life and the preciousness of the time remaining.
there are moments where the truth of the author's words are so searing it brings me to tears, or so astonish me for the mere fact that another human feels the same way i do. while this book's emotional impact subtly ebbs and flows and there isnt much of a plot, it def serves as a great reminder of the fleetingness of life and the preciousness of the time remaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Mental illness, War, and Colonisation
katievh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a book you can read in literally one sitting or if you choose to listen to this via audio, only four hours of your time. Either way, this is worth reading. A lot of immigrant families (speaking from personal experience) tend to have a difficult time expressing love with their words, choosing actions or quality time rather than communicating. Our narrator, who is nameless, is trying to understand the grief she feels and the east vs west differences since moving to Canada after leaving Hong Kong. She relies on mom and grandma to help guide her confused feelings. The chapters are Uber short and sometimes veer a little off track from the re-telling of the past but will linger with you for a while even after you close the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Xenophobia
typedtruths's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Grief
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
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
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