Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

 

After her family moved from Hong Kong when the city became a part of China, the protagonist of this haunting story has only truly known Vancouver as home. Yet her “astronaut” father travels back and forth to Hong Kong for work, the only place he truly considers home. In crisp vignettes the narrative details the pain of rootlessness and her struggles with making peace with her father’s brand of love. Choosing just the right details to populate every page, Fung has delivered a spectacular debut. The Ghost Forest is her special painting, a metaphor for the lingering ache of regret.