Many thanks to Random House of Canada for sending this marvelous novel; a story that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to final page. The Hungry Ghosts has everything you want in a smart read: marvelously intelligent characters, elegant prose and most of all, great wisdom.
The Hungry Ghosts centers around Shivan Rassiah, a wonderful character in war-torn Sri Lanka, whose life becomes a wide open book for the reader. Shivan’s mother and sister live with him in his grandmother’s Colombo home at the novel’s start, which proves an impossibly uncomfortable situation. Shivan’s grandmother adores her beautiful grandson, and places him on a pedestal. Her love for him places everyone else in a dark shadow, and simultaneously drives an invisible wedge between Shivan, his mother and his sister. While the politics of his home country ravage communities and citizens, Shivan’s extraordinarily wealthy grandmother miraculously keeps her family safely tucked away. The reason for this emerges as the story progresses, and Shivan comes to discover her true character. Continue reading
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