Ghost Month, Ed Lin
Ghost Month, Ed Lin
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Ghost Month

Author: Ed Lin

Narrator: Feodor Chin

Unabridged: 11 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/29/2014

Synopsis

August is Ghost Month in Taiwan—a time to commemorate the dead: burn incense, visit shrines, honor ancestors, and avoid unlucky situations, large purchases, and bodies of water. Jing-nan, a young man who runs a food stand in a bustling Taipei night market, doesn't consider himself superstitious, but this August is going to haunt him no matter what he does.He is shocked to the core when he learns his ex-girlfriend from high school has been murdered. She was found scantily clad and shot on the side of a highway where she was selling betel nuts to passing truck drivers. Beyond his harrowing grief for his lost love, Jing-nan is confused by the news. "Betel nut beauties" are usually women in the most desperate of circumstances; the job is almost as taboo as prostitution. But Julia Huang had been the valedictorian of their high school, and the last time Jing-nan spoke to her she was enrolled in NYU's honor program, far away in New York. The facts don't add up. Julia's parents don't think so either, and the police seem to have closed the case without asking any questions.The Huangs beg Jing-nan to do some investigating on his own—reconnect with old classmates, see if he can learn anything about Julia's life that she might have kept from them. Reluctantly, he agrees, for Julia's sake. But nothing can prepare him for what he learns—or how it will change his life.

About Ed Lin

Ed Lin is a journalist by training and the author of the Taipei Night Market series: Ghost Month, Incensed, and 99 Ways to Die; his literary debut, Waylaid; and the Robert Chow crime series set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown. He is of Taiwanese and Chinese descent and is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards.

About Feodor Chin

Feodor Chin, an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an actor classically trained at the American Conservatory Theater and UCLA. His acting career includes numerous credits in film, television, theater, and voice-over.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James

Ghost Month is set mostly in the bustling night market in Taipei. The protagonist, Jing-nan runs a food stand there, which he inherited from his parents. He also inherited a huge debt that was initially incurred by Jing-nan's grandfather and which has been passed down to him along with the food stan......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer

I won this on the Goodreads giveaway. And I am SO happy I did!! Bear with me I'm not great with reviews but I'm going to try because this book is excellent. Jing-nan and his high school sweetheart ,Julia, made a promise to each other that they would not speak until they went to America ,graduated fr......more

Goodreads review by Philip

REALLY wanted to like this book, as I want to like all books set in Taiwan. I lived in Taipei longer than I've lived in any other city; my wife is from there, my sons were born there, and so it really is my second home. But this was just lame - not so much a novel as a "Guide to Everything Taiwan" W......more

Goodreads review by Maggie

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The setting of the night market in Taiwan was fascinating and I loved learning about Ghost Month and other elements of Taiwanese culture. But I often felt as if the narrator was explaining things to an audience instead of conducting an inner monologue,......more

Goodreads review by Hallie

A sidewalk noodle shop in Taipei City's Shilin Night Market during summer's Ghost Month (when "supposedly the gates of the underworld are opened and spirits of the dead are allowed to walk among the living once again") is the vivid backdrop for Ed Lin's "Ghost Month." Protagonist Jing-nan has no int......more

Quotes

“Lin is an astonishing talent.” Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize–winning author

“A unique blend of tension, charm, tragedy, and optimism, with characters you’ll love, and a setting so real you’ll think you’ve been there. Highly recommended.” Lee Child

“For a guy who scoffs at the ghosts revered by so many of his fellow Taiwanese, droll everyman Jing-nan, a night-market food stall manager, ironically finds himself spending much of his time chasing one as he investigates the murder of his childhood sweetheart, Julia Huang, in this darkly comic thriller from Lin.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Taiwan’s traditions play a major role in Lin’s category-defying thriller that manages to be both funny and profound. Lin, who also pens the New York City–set Robert Chow procedural series, writes with strong literary overtones and delivers a bang-up finale sure to keep readers engaged well past lights out.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Feodor Chin keeps things edgy in this genre-bending mystery.” AudioFile

“Narrator Jing-nan offers full-sensory descriptions of Taipei’s night market that are perfect for armchair travelers, especially if they like their vacations spiced up with odd companions and exotic Mob violence.” Booklist

“The teeming Taipei setting and the tormented hero combine to create a furious energy.” Kirkus Reviews

“Hold on for a breathtaking, multicultural ride. With some good luck and a few well-placed joss sticks, you just might survive.” Martin Limón, author of Nightmare Range

Awards

  • Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week
  • Library Journal Best Book
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