Name: Wandering Souls
ISBN: 9781250863461

Cecile Pin

A Novel

Wandering Souls

Victoria Justice

There is a proper way to grieve in the eyes of others: not too little, not too much. But there is a part of grieving that occurs behind the curtains, a part that is just for us and the deceased. And I suspect it is in this private communion, away from the crowd and the judgement, that we can find solace.

He wondered if you could be both alive and a ghost, if you could be both awake and a wandering soul.

I'll think of all the stories she has told me - stories about the war and friendly ghosts, stories to console and appease me. I'll realise that they were stories she told herself, too, that stories are a bridge between us, and I'll understand that I have uttered a wish she has held on to since long before it came to me.

We tell ourselves stories in order to live.

We tell ourselves stories in order to heal.

Jemima Scott

‘And it was quite a wonderful thing, she thought, to be alive.’

Cassandra Tang

Eva Ströberg

Wandering Souls - Cecile Pin
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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This book tells such a sad story about Vietnamese refugees known as boat people. Back in 1978, 16-year old Anh, sailed ahead with her younger brothers Thanh and Minh thinking that the rest her family would follow suit, but weeks later when they finally arrived in Hong Kong, nearly escaped deaths and massacres by the pirates, she found out that the brothers are all the family she got.
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Anh had to take in the new role as mother for the young boys, and at the same time preparing herself to live in a foreign country, far from home, with everyday full of challenges, including economic problems and racism.
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Pin wrote so wonderfully, each story carefully woven with facts from history books about what really happened to the boat people and how resilient they were. And no one, no one in the right mind would want to leave their home and become refugee unless their lives depend on it.
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#cecilepin #wanderingsouls #vietnameseboatpeople #bookstagram 
#2023readingchallenge #2023reads #currentlyreading

"He wondered if you could be both alive and a ghost, if you could be both awake and a wandering soul."

Cecile Pin's debut novel, Wandering Souls, follows three siblings as they make the journey from war-torn Vietnam to the UK.

Its ethereal writing is emotionally breathtaking, and the story is so poetically crafted, making it a book I wanted to devour, but found myself having to pause and savour.

The journey of these characters is heartbreaking, focusing on such thought-provoking themes and issues, making it a book I wanted to hug close after finishing in order to try and repair the pieces it has torn within my heart.

This book feels like an important read for everyone and one that will live inside my mind and heart for a while to come.

"He wondered if you could be both alive and a ghost, if you could be both awake and a wandering soul."

Cecile Pin's debut novel, Wandering Souls, follows three siblings as they make the journey from war-torn Vietnam to the UK.

Its ethereal writing is emotionally breathtaking, and the story is so poetically crafted, making it a book I wanted to devour, but found myself having to pause and savour.

The journey of these characters is heartbreaking, focusing on such thought-provoking themes and issues, making it a book I wanted to hug close after finishing in order to try and repair the pieces it has torn within my heart.

This book feels like an important read for everyone and one that will live inside my mind and heart for a while to come.

This is an utterly beautiful, sad and hopeful story following three Vietnamese siblings on their journey as they leave their home country to move to the UK. It's hard not to get emotional when reading this story, especially knowing it was based on very real, lived experiences. Cecile Pin has delicately and thoughtfully put this story together in a book that is hard-hitting and raw. Wandering Souls combines a not only tragic story, but a hopeful one of family, love and what we do for those around us. Truly fantastic. 

Wandering Souls A Novel

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