Author(s): Cecile Pin

Novel | 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction long list | Vietnam | Historical

'A deeply humane and genre-defying work of love and uncompromising hope' Ocean Vuong An extraordinary, original and heartbreaking debut novel about the bonds that connect people even when separated by seas or death itself, from a thrilling new voice.There are the goodbyes and then the fishing out of the bodies - everything in between is speculation.One night, not long after the last American troops leave Vietnam, siblings Anh, Thanh and Minh flee their village and embark on a perilous boat journey to Hong Kong. Their parents and four younger siblings make the crossing in another vessel but as weeks go by it becomes clear that only one party has survived the voyage.Anh, Thanh and Minh suddenly find themselves alone in the world, without family or home. They travel on, navigating refugee camps and resettlement centres until, by a twist of fate, they arrive in Thatcher's Britain. Here they must somehow build new lives with only each other to turn to, but will that be enough in a place that doesn't seem to want them?In this piercing debut, the siblings' faltering journey is deftly interwoven with the voice of their lost younger brother, Dao, following them from a place between the living and the dead, and the records of an unknown researcher intent on gathering together the strands of their story. Revelatory and inventive, Wandering Souls paints a heart-wrenching portrait of a family in unimaginable adversity while exploring the power of stories to heal generational wounds. It heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in fiction.

Review: 'Powerful ... a bold debut that breaks new ground' Sunday Times
'An astute and sure-footed excavation of family, selfhood, and loss in the shadow of colonial violence. It is also a deeply humane and genre-defying work of love and uncompromising hope through a long-overdue portrayal of Vietnamese life in the UK. A mighty achievement' Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous
'A heartbreaking novel ... a deeply affecting reckoning with history' i-D Magazine
'Meticulously researched and beautifully imagined, Wandering Soul is a deeply affecting debut, a restless inquiry into the nature of loss, kinship and survival' Tash Aw, author of We, the Survivors
'Pin's story is as relevant now as it ever was. You won't get through this without your heart breaking' AnOther
'Clear-hearted and moving, Wandering Souls tells one of the most important stories of our times' Lucy Caldwell, author of These Days
'Deeply moving and deeply generous. Pin writes about the Vietnamese diaspora in the UK - its past and its present - with love and care. I cried' Yara Rodrigues Fowler, author of there are more things
'A searing, sweeping and intimate story of such heart and scope. Measured, multilayered and beautiful ' Rachel Long, author of My Darling from the Lions
'Historical epic Wandering Souls ... [offers] a very different take on the immigrant experience' Vogue
'This deeply affecting novel charts one family's displacement, estrangement, and return ... Wandering Souls is more than testament, more than fiction. I am full of admiration' Jeet Thayil, author of Narcopolis

Author Biography: Cecile Pin grew up in Paris and New York City before moving to London at 18 to study philosophy at University College London, followed by an MA at King's College London. She is currently editorial assistant at Jonathan Cape. She also writes for Bad Form Review, was longlisted for its Young Writer's prize and is a London Writers Awards 2021 winner.