Wandering Souls, Cecile Pin
‘There are the goodbyes and then the fishing out of the bodies – everything in between is speculation.’
Wandering Souls refers to a belief within Vietnamese culture that if a person is improperly buried, then their soul continues to wander the earth rather than being laid to rest. Reference is made within the book to ‘Operation Wandering Soul’ which was conducted by the Americans during the war against Vietnam, whereby troops played ‘ghost tapes’ to scare the Vietcong into thinking their deceased friends were haunting them. The title is also honoured during sweeping passages throughout the novel by the siblings’ youngest lost brother, Dao, who wanders alongside them as they attempt to navigate this strange, immensely vast world in the absence of their family.
This story is told in a beautiful and unforgettable way. It is saturated with layers of emotion, strong character development, devastating familial hardship and gritty historical content. From Thatcher’s reluctance to welcome Vietnamese refugees to the discovery of lifeless bodies in a truck travelling across the border to Essex, Wandering Souls poignantly interlaces fact with fiction and gives a voice to those who were not afforded the basic luxury of speaking their truth.
Stories like this are why I am so grateful that fiction exists. To be able to express historical content through imitations of real-life voices is truly the greatest power, and it is an act of defiance against those who deny access to basic human rights.
Read the interview with Cecile Pin in Issue 115, Resolution.
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