The Frangipani Hotel is a collection of contemporary short stories predominantly set in Vietnam - which made for the perfect holiday read whilst travelling through said Vietnam.The stories featured Saigon, Hanoi, the Mekong, the USA and a convent. The cast of characters included refugees, nuns, siblings, ex-pats, soldiers and ghosts.
Plenty of ghosts in fact, as well as haunts, the walking dead and even a were-snake!
Some of the ghosts were friendly & protective whilst some lured people to their deaths. Others tried to steal your soul or mess with your head. Some were lost, wandering the heavens & earth looking for somewhere to belong.
The ghosts reflected our own inner demons and insecurities - they highlighted the pasts that haunt us all.
All the short stories were extremely diverse, very enjoyable & a pleasure to read. Kupersmith has a lovely light touch that hides a surprising depth and complexity. The creepy edges to her stories leave you with a little tingle of horror.
Family, connections and belonging are common themes throughout, as is the act of storytelling.
Kupersmith uses storytelling within the stories to reveal truths, histories & traditions. They also hide secrets & disguise what really happened.
Highly recommended not just for travelers to Vietnam, but for all lovers of beautifully told short stories.
Oh, I forgot all about this book. I enjoyed the stories as well; they were all well-written and some were creepy enough to give me goosebumps. :)
ReplyDeleteMr Books is reading them now & also loving the creepy goosebumps :-)
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