Lyrical and creative but it just missed the mark for me. I didn't warm to any of the characters and took a long time to force myself to finish reading.

Set in colonial Trinidad and steeped in a brooding, ominous atmosphere, Hosein's powerful novel charts the increasingly toxic interrelationship between the wealthy and entitled Changoors and the poverty-stricken families that work the land in the shadow of their farm.
'Immersive and beautifully written' - Gem, Bookseller

This is an impressive book. This is a story about social inequality. It is written beautifully and the characters are well rounded. A brilliant book

This lilting novel is told in a style that makes you feel like you have been asked to gather around so someone can tell you a story.

However, you soon realise that the story has far more darkness and edge than that would suggest. The plot covers the long-term and wide-ranging effects of trauma, with dark events hiding behind every turn.

The book builds a scene of the difficulties of trying to look back over the history of a place, while you are still feeling the effects of that history, and it was often quite touching.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Saroop family - Hans, Shweta and son Krishna - live in very basic accommodation, a single room in a block that is shared with other families. Hans works for the wealthy Changoor family. When Dalton Changoor goes missing, Hans is hired by his wife as a watchman, lured by the promise of enough money to buy his family out of poverty.

However, Hans finds himself falling under the spell of Marlee Changoor and the ensuing events have far-reaching repercussions for all the members of his family, not least his son, Krishna.

The relationship between Krishna, his cousin Tarak and the twins Rustam and Rudra, is central to the narrative. Also woven into the story is the back history of various main characters.

This is a compelling read, albeit not an easy one. There are themes of violence, animal cruelty, sexism and racism throughout, but the surroundings in 1940s colonial Trinidad are brought vividly to life by Kevin Jared Hosein.

You will need a dictionary to look up some of the native flora and fauna mentioned in the book, as well as references to the Hindu religion.

I received a digital ARC of this book via Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, in return for an honest appraisal.

I was sent a copy of Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein to read and review by NetGalley. I was looking forward to reading this novel but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. While there were individual passages that I enjoyed and I understand what the author was saying regarding British colonialism and the vast divide between the wealthy and those that have to struggle just to survive, I didn’t really warm to any of the characters and I thought that a number of the back story chapters had been inserted into the story in totally the wrong places. I persevered and read the whole book but I’m not sure that I actually gained anything by doing so. I felt that as a whole this novel was quite depressing, cold and somehow grasping. Not one of my favourites.

I enjoyed the atmosphere this book created and the way it discussed race and class issues in Trinidad. However, despite its literary and social merit, I got to 50% of the way through the book and nothing seemed to have happened, so I decided to stop reading (hence my rating). The pace was just far too slow; I kept waiting for the eeriness of the beginning to return, like the dogs dying, but found myself clutching at straws. I wish the book took less time to get to where it needed to be to keep me interested in the plot!

I was disappointed from this book, mostly because I couldn't connect with any of the characters (the multiple perspectives is the main reason for this, especially when the perspective changes so frequently, before the reader has a chance to be submerged in the narrative. I think if the story had stuck to one POV I think it would have had a deeper exploration of the themes it started to delve into (poverty, grief, forgiveness, and masculinity, to name a few). I liked the writing style and that the setting of Trinidad felt like another character with its own intentions and actions, but not enough for me to have thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Tried really hard to read this book, but very difficult to engage with it. So sorry to have to bail out after 10%, but didn't feel interested enough to continue.

**3.5**
I did struggle initially to get into this book and I felt it jumped around a lot. This is definitely not an easy read and lost me in places but it is beautifully written and so moving.

It's odd that the blurb by Hilary Mantel first attracted my attention as getting through Wolf Hall was such a trial but she's not wrong, this is a deeply impressive book. I shouldn't be surprised then that this is a slow burn, often challenging book which is so beautifully written at times it's almost painful.

Set in 1940's Trinidad and told from multiple perspectives it centres around a Hindu family who live in one room of a barrack and in contrast Marlee Changoor who lives on an estate up the hill in comparative luxury with her recently vanished husband.

The list of 'Key Players' in the beginning of the book is useful to orientate the reader to the myriad of close third person points of views throughout this book. There are even characters introduced just for one chapter and then gone again which I find a little disorientating, but is useful for seeing a complete picture of the situation.

My main criticism of this book is that I never really connected with any of the main characters because there is no clear protagonist. I had to make myself continue to read rather than any desire to know what happened next.

The contrast between the barrack life, where the roof leaks and there is little to no privacy with whole families living in one small room but with tight community and to Marlee Changoor alone in her gated house who feels so isolated and unsafe that she a hires a man for protection.

I almost put it down half way through and got entranced in other reading matter and media but being stubborn and unwilling to give up on a book after the midpoint I persisted but I am glad I did.

The middle of the book did drag but the ending was dramatic and climactic enough make up for it and to tie up most of the loose ends. It is left open enough to keep us wondering about a few things though, which I like and I think this story may linger in my mind longer than most.

This is a remarkable novel an exceptional piece of writing. Set in Trinidad in the years after WWII it is a story of hope aspiration and eventually despair. It depicts families living in abject poverty in the shadow of a couple living a wealthy lifestyle. When the enigmatic husband of the couple disappears it sets in motion a chain of events leading to tragedy for one of the families living in one room poverty.
This is a story with great depth, one that could be reread many times over without losing its power which is the definition of a classic book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book took a little while to get going, but once I clicked into the narrative it was very engrossing. I did think some parts were slightly repetitive but the narrative plays out like a Greek tragedy, particularly concerned with elements of class, wealth and power. I do wish some of the themes had been delved into a little more, but I also wouldn't have wanted it to be any longer!

I loved the start of this book but then i struggled afterwards. felt like their were too many dogs dying, characters and plots.

Kevin Jared Hosein’s ‘Hungry Ghosts’ is a brutal and bleak tale of violence and revenge, and an examination of grief. Hosein’s writing style is immediately gripping and engaging, and the world he crafts is a fully realised and believable interpretation of the Caribbean landscape. A dark and heavy read, but well worth your time. Highly recommended.

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

This is a very impressive novel. It is one of those novels that I didn't want to finish! I thought that the story and characters were engaging and captivating throughout. It is beautifully written and lyrical but also not too fancy as to isolate the reader. I really enjoyed the setting also the description of 1940s Trinidad and Tobago.

A beautifully written novel set in 1940s Trinidad. This evocative book really immerses the reader into the environment particularly that of the leaky, basic barracks which houses a number of families living side-by-side separated only by flimsy partitions. It encapsulates the feel of the sugarcane estates and the different classes of society. It’s about love, grief and escaping your past. A fantastic read.

What can I say about Hungry Ghosts other than the beauty of the narrative we truly stunning. The descriptions, the imagery the depth of emotion Hosein gleaned from his characters was amazing.
The divide of the poor and the wealthy was investigated, Hans, his son Krishna, his partner Shweta, sequestered in the squalor of the barracks. Rooms joined together, shared by multiple families, the rain seeking every opportunity to find it way inside.
In the house on the hill Mr and Mrs Changoor, lived in the big house, wealthy comfortable.. No one knew how they got their money, Mr Changoor, an enigma, Mrs Changoor the subject of swirling rumours. When Mr Changoor disappears the boundaries become blurred, Hans slowly reeled by Mrs Changoor, his family left behind. I was engrossed in Krishna’s story, a young boy forced to grow up, to make sense of what happened around him. Hosein truly captured his turmoil, his anguish.
Hungry Ghosts was exceptional, and one that will live long in my mind

An impressive and powerful novel by a real storyteller that makes for an immersive reading experience. I am sad that I finished it and will miss the characters, but I am pretty sure this is a book that will be talked about in the coming months. I would not be surprised if this shows up on the Booker longlist.

The language is lyrical and the vocabulary so rich that I actually made a list of words to look up - a confronting reminder of the fact that I am not an English native speaker.

If this happens to you, please don't give up: the book becomes a real pageturner with an intricate plot, lively characters and lots to learn about Trinidadian life, culture, religion, food, weather and nature.

The form is not innovative, but the setting of 1940s Trinidad and Tobago is so unusual that it all feels very fresh.

A very clear 5 stars.