Staff Pick
This collection rocketed to the top of my personal favorites list. Malaysian author Zen Cho's stories crackle with wit, history, and some of the most accurate Malay familial dynamics I've ever seen in writing. An anthology that chronicles myriad exchanges and encounters between the living and dead, Cho brings the spirit world and the Malaysian diaspora's religious and cultural history alive. Tender, sly, and totally magical. Recommended By SitaraG, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Nineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho's Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again." A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people. An earth spirit gets entangled in protracted negotiations with an annoying landlord, and Chang E spins off into outer space, the ultimate metaphor for the Chinese diaspora.
Synopsis
LA Times/Ray Bradbury Prize finalist
Nineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho's Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again." A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people. An earth spirit gets entangled in protracted negotiations with an annoying landlord, and Chang E spins off into outer space, the ultimate metaphor for the Chinese diaspora.