Set in Thailand from 1976 to the present, Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed is a haunting yet hopeful exploration of grief, motherhood, and cultural identity With pathos and swift, transporting prose, Natalie Gregory reveals a version of Thailand rich with counterculture, protest, and the lingering ghosts of those erased from collective memory Aube Rey Lescure, Womens Prize shortlisted author of River East, River West
Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed is a brilliant and richly imagined debut. Gregory writes beautifully about motherhood, loneliness and the clash of family and politics Luan Goldie, Womens Prize longlisted author of Nightingale Point
This book is not read, it is imbibed through gorgeous descriptions of food and rituals that bring Thailand's political and cultural history to the fore. Motherhood and grief are treated like the mysteries they are, as are repressed desires and their costs. This is an unforgettable read' Fauzia Musa, The Strangling Fig
****
A single thread can unravel a web of secrets
Lin returns from England to Bangkok to care for her dying mother. In the city, pro-democracy protestors clash with the military government and ambitious new king. And among all this, Lins mother dies.
Numbed at the wake and feeling like a stranger in her home country, Lin tries to cook her mothers favourite dish, but her mothers recipes are all missing, and in their place is an old political leaflet which everyone refuses to translate. Lonely and intrigued, Lin sets off with her baby to the Thai countryside in search of answers.
As she discovers herself and her culture, Lin quickly finds that tugging at a single thread can unravel a web of secrets held for decades, driving away loved ones, breaking cultural taboos, and uncovering dreadful truths behind a devastating political past.
****
