Wandering Souls

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMENS PRIZE FOR FICTION A deeply humane and genredefying work of love and uncompromising hope Ocean Vuong I raced through it. Beautiful brilliant Rebecca F. Kuang author of Babel A dazzling new talent Observer Will shatter your heart Glamour Powerful ... a bold debut that breaks new ground 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 boat journey to Hong Kong. Their parents and four younger siblings make the crossing in another vessel but as weeks go by it becomes clear that only one party has survived the voyage. Anh Thanh and Minh suddenly find themselves alone in the world without family or home. They travel on navigating refugee camps and resettlement centres until by a twist of fate they arrive in Thatchers Britain. Here they must somehow build new lives with only each other to turn to but will that be enough in a place that doesnt seem to want them In this piercing debut the siblings faltering journey is deftly interwoven with the voice of their lost younger brother Dao following them from a place between the living and the dead and the records of an unknown researcher intent on gathering the strands of their story. Wandering Souls paints a heartwrenching portrait of a family in crisis while exploring the healing power of stories. A most anticipated book of 2023 in Vogue AnOther Magazine iD Independent Evening Standard and Huffington Post A powerful story of courage love and unwavering hope Marie Claire An ambitious and promising new talent Sharlene Teo Guardian Heartbreaking ... a deeply affecting reckoning with history iD Tells one of the most important stories of our times Lucy Caldwell author of These Days Something special ... Reading it is like watching a writer at work New York Times