Book Review: "Hungry Ghosts" by Kevin Jared Hosein

“Some people wait for God to decide for them, he said. This isn’t how it is supposed to be. No one knows how it is supposed to be, he told his sons. People are betrayed by their own intelligence. The truth is neither here nor there – it will be there one moment and disappear the next. The truth is on the tip of your nose. You can barely see it most of your life. But you look at yourself for long enough, and you will. When that moment comes, snatch it and eat it, and you will come out alive.”

The text opens on a blood pact between a bunch of kids. They slice their hands with a blade and then let the blood drip on to a glass bottle of milk. They then drink the milk and watch the rainfall after giving each other a hug. This inexplicably starts the ball rolling on to a bunch of events that will change the way we think about pacts altogether. But, enough of that for now.

It's the 1940s in Trinidad and the beautiful landscape is described in an atmospheric way that is only slightly tinged with darkness. The food, the plants, the people are all rich with the culture of two lives and the plantation era has just ended so tensions are still wavering about. Hans is a poor farm worker who's son, Krishna, is bullied at school because of his late start. He gets physically abused by the other children and one day, enlists his cousin for help. The nightmares that unfold within are as frightening and tragic as they sound and blend together the trauma of generations with the sound of antiheroic mythology.

Talk about social inequality though because in a flash, a rich landowner named Dalton Chagoor goes missing and his wife is sent death threats. In the days that follow, Dalton's dogs are murdered one by one and the wife enlists the help of Hans, Krishna's father, as a night watchman. The wife's name is Marlee and her past is, at best, shady and strange. How she came about is also a bit shady and strange. But the strangest thing is how Dalton gets his money. I won't tell you because I don't want to spoil the book but it is fascinating to read about their questionable lives.

The idea of 'Hungry Ghosts' I believe comes from the people who are most impacted by tragedy. For example: there is a first child of Hans and his wife, Shweta and the child apparently died from a horrid illness. This is a novel that is populated with not only the dead and buried, but the people who have been changed or thrust into the darkness because of unspeakable events out of their control.

The one thing I liked about this book is that motives are somewhat clear for those who want something from someone else and, are in a position of power to get it. I know I'm being purposefully vague but I don't want to give away something I consider to be a big reveal. The depiction of people in positions of power is realistic because of the stranglehold they have on those around them. If someone is in dire need of money, they will risk a lot in order to get it and thus, maintain and already crumbling reputation. It is a fascinating take on the post-plantation land that is not really post-slavery at all if you really think about it. There is still a great phenomenal divide between the rich and the poor and the reader is made to look at it with both eyes: wide and angry.

In conclusion, I thought that this book was absolutely terrifying. It reminds me of the darkness that pervades over the thunderstorm scene in The Thorn Birds or the beginning of The House of the Spirits or even 100 Years of Solitude. It is that hyper-realistic and poetic sense of pure danger, real tragedy and people in situations out of their control that are trying to make the best of it that really hits home for the reader. It is one of those rare, great novels that keeps its edge as a modern classic.