3.5☆

in vietnamese culture, there's a belief that if a body is not buried, the soul will never find rest. it's fated to wander the earth, the equivalent of a ghost or spirit. 'wandering souls', on multiple levels, is a story about being lost, searching the earth, trying to find refuge, security and meaning in the unknown

our main story arc is following anh and her two brothers as they escape communist vietnam, in hope for a new life in the usa. their parents and the rest of their siblings are to follow shortly after anh leaves. tragedy strikes and anh and her brothers find themselves alone, orphaned and refugees

alongside this main arc, we have a narrative following dao, the ghost of anh's young brother. as well as short clippings of real moments in history, that are scattered throughout the novel

i think that for such a short book, the decision of having three different narratives (or two with historical inserts) creates a really fragmented, disjointed story. part of me thinks it nicely reflects the fractured lives of our characters, but it did feel jarring at times to keep track of the constant switches to different timelines and historical moments. i do think it was important to include all these different narratives, but i did find myself wanting it to be a little more cohesive or executed more efficiently

saying that, i think that cecile pin has created something that is quietly powerful, moving and impactful. from familial duty to documenting the horrors and struggles of the refugee experience, the racist politics of britain and the psychological aftermath of surviving traumas…. lots of important themes are tackled. i love reading about sibling relationships, and anh's role as the elderly sister had me