Wandering Souls
Cecile Pin
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
Wandering Souls
Cecile Pin
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
Who is Anh beyond her surrogate motherhood? Unfortunately, Pin gives us little opportunity to find out.
Moving and meticulously researched.
Subtle and gripping.
It’s a brave blend of styles that, at its best, is powerful. But it comes at the expense of sketchy characterisation: in the end it’s the historical anecdotes that sear on to your mind. Still, it’s a bold debut that breaks new ground in telling the story of the Vietnamese 'boat people' who landed in Britain, a neglected subject in fiction — until now..
Debut novels are often overlooked by avid readers because of the wealth of works by well-known authors. This one should not be. In just 220 pages Cecile Pin’s novel deserves attention for its simple, carefully chosen, often heartbreaking language and its well-constructed scenes that explore themes like family, duty, identity and love. It also offers a much-needed human face that reveals the trauma of immigration and asylum seeking, so often reduced to numbers and stereotypical assumptions.
Pin handles the alternating perspectives skillfully, though Jane’s voice is the most fully lived in and original.
Pin smoothly juggles Anh’s narrative with snippets of speeches and news reports that provide conflicting views of Margaret Thatcher’s policies toward refugees, as well chapters from the perspectives of the ghost of a younger brother, refugees who are sexually assaulted in Thailand, and a narrator—unidentified until the end—who feels great pressure to do justice to their family’s experiences. With concision and clarity, the author shows a deep understanding of how upheaval can splinter families..
Pin’s debut follows the siblings into adulthood and parenthood, weaving an unforgettable story of dreams, grief, family, and home..