Anne Berry

This one took me a while. Children is not a book that gives, but rather takes. It demands instead of provides, not bothering to look back and make sure the reader is still on the ride, eagerly attentive. The characters are spellbinding, different yet mortal, distinctive and touching. The ending was almost too perfect for real life, though fulfilling for readers with need of some sort of silver lining in the eternal rain shower one observes in these histories.

Beautifully described and evocative, this is the somewhat desolate but delicately told story of a dysfunctional family and how they fare in the final outpost of the Empire, Hong Kong, in the years prior to the handover.

Presented from several points of view, what makes this tale special is that one of the narrators is the ghost of a young fisher girl who was murdered by a Japanese soldier during the war.

The Hungry Ghost attaches herself to Alice, the unhappy daughter of a senior British show more official, and is joined by a retinue including the ghost of Alice’s aborted baby, her beloved dog, and a headless canary. Sad, poignant yet compelling, this literary novel is an impressive debut. show less

I adored this book even though it is not my usual genre of choice. I was hooked from the opening pages and was completely absorbed in the lives of the 3 mothers. Told from each of their viewpoints we hear how their lives shape up after a heart wrenching adoption takes place. I'm not a softy by a long shot but this tale moved me to tears several times. The lives of the women, the men they meet and marry and the children they have - all of these events are shaped by the adoption at the very show more beginning of their tale. As for the ending . . . I don't think it's a spoiler to say just have tissues ready! It wasn't at all what I'd expected but was so much better than I'd imagined (which is why I'm a reader and not an author.)For me this was a fabulous read and I'll definitely be looking out for more by Anne Berry. show less

Not sure what to make of this novel, even whether or not I actually enjoyed the experience! Yes, there is a ghost, but the plot is not quite what I was expecting - instead of a tragic story about Lin Shui, the young Chinese girl who is murdered, Hungry Ghosts is more about a dysfunctional English family living in Hong Kong, particularly the youngest daughter, Alice, whom Lin Shui bonds with. Not exactly The Lovely Bones, then, despite the tacking on of a ghost-baby, ghost-dog and show more ghost-budgie!

The various first person narratives, from the family and the assortment of ghosts, didn't work for me either, I'm afraid. Nobody thinks or talks in that faux-poetic style, and there were no distinguishable personalities from character to character. Myrtle the mother stood out, if only for being so dreadfully middle class and cold-hearted, and I quite liked Nicola's changing perspective, but otherwise I was unmoved. show less