Wandering Souls
As seen:
By Cecile Pin, Aoife Hinds, Ioanna Kimbook, and and, Ainsleigh Barber
avg rating
1 review
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION
’A deeply humane and genre-defying work of love and … hope’ OCEAN VUONG ‘Beautiful, brilliant’ R. F. KUANG ‘Dazzling’ OBSERVER ‘Will shatter your heart’ GLAMOUR ‘Powerful’ SUNDAY TIMES An extraordinary story of the journey of one young family through love, loss and unwavering hope. There are the goodbyes and then the fishing out of the bodies – everything in between is speculation. One night, not long after the last American troops leave Vietnam, siblings Anh, Thanh and Minh flee their village and embark on a perilous journey in hope of a new life. Separated from their parents and fearing the worst they find themselves travelling alone in the world without a home to return to. After a twist of fate lands them in Thatcher’s Britain, they must somehow build new lives there. Will the love they have for each other be enough to keep them together? Wandering Souls is a stunning, life-affirming testament to the healing power of stories. A Time and Guardian book of the year Shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2023 ‘Poignant and lyrical’ DAVID NICHOLLS ‘A powerful story of courage, love and unwavering hope’ MARIE CLAIRE ‘Beautiful… I loved every word’ PHILIPPA PERRY ‘A deeply affecting reckoning with history’ i-D ‘Tells one of the most important stories of our times’ LUCY CALDWELL ‘Special … Reading it is like watching a writer at work’ NEW YORK TIMES TweetReviews
Burtonwood Library Reading Group
Marion: I liked the way the book was rooted in real history about the trials and perils of refugees. It made me more aware of “the other” in British political history. I would recommend this book to people of a liberal persuasion and those interested in contemporary British history.
Janette: I liked the atmosphere-the fear and expectation of moving to new country and new beginnings. It did jump quickly to 40 years later some more infill would have been welcome but it was beautifully written. The themes I enjoyed were the references to Vietnam, the family thread and the deceased brother hovering in the background. My favourite character was Anh although I would have liked more emotion & empathy with her. It felt quite factual. I made me feel very lucky not to have to consider refugee status. Quite sad about the 3 surviving siblings and felt bereft at their initial experiences. I would recommend this book to anyone with a social conscience that might like the historical angle of the book.
Leanne: I liked the relevance to today’s situation about migrant boat crossings. The details of family life in Vietnam and how Anh tried to maintain the values she thought her family believed in. The themes I enjoyed included loss, grief new beginnings struggles between siblings. My favourite character was Anh. She had to become a parent to her brothers. The book showed the conflicts and her own struggles between being an adult & needing support herself. This made me feel sad but in equal measure uplifted the resilience of people. I would recommend to anyone interested in current affairs and different cultures.
Julie: This was a human story and the story of so many. I liked the historical accuracy. My favourite character was Thanh who despite all the odds studied hard and was a good boy for his sister. This book made me uncomfortable and a little ashamed at times because we let this happen to people and also very sad for what they went through. I would recommend to anyone from mid-teens onwards who want to know about the history of the Vietnamese boat people.
Patty: It was a very interesting read about the tribulations of Vietnamese refugees something I knew nothing about. I enjoyed the determination shown in the characters efforts to get to the USA Which was their aim unfortunately they were sent to the UK but they achieved a good life eventually. My favourite character was Anh the valiant sister who looked after the family & kept them together throughout their many tribulations. This book made me feel sorry for the prejudice shown to them & the government’s hypocrisy. I would recommend to anyone interested in current affairs.
