Kevin Jared Hosein’s novel, Hungry Ghosts, unfolds over several months in 1940s Trinidad, near the end of American occupation and British colonialism. The novel weaves together the stories of multiple characters, focusing on themes of religion, class, trauma, family dynamics, etc. Hosein unfolds the narrative in five sections, each beginning with a flashback to underscore the generational trauma and inescapable influence of the past on the characters’ present lives; illustrating how unresolved histories shape individual identities and relationships within the context of cultural and social realities in Trinidad. 

Each introductory section (“A Gate to Hell,” “A Small Sacrifice,” “A Father’s Sins,” “A Clean Break,” and “Deadwater”) shares a common theme of exploring the past and its haunting effects on the characters’ present lives. They also provide context and depth behind each character, allowing readers to understand each character’s actions, motivations, and struggles more clearly. For instance, “A Small Sacrifice”, reveals Marlee’s backstory of how she sacrificed her ‘humanity’ in return for fulfilling her ‘American dream’ (or at least the only dream she seemed to know about) along with how she came to be ‘Marlee’. Finding out she grew up in a brothel, where she witnessed the abuse, sexualization, and killing of women, readers are able to come to some clear understanding as to why she comes off as an ‘aggressor’ or  “master”-–how Robsion puts it (Hosein 232)-– towards Shweta and Hans. In other words, witnessing the oppression of women and being treated as a ‘doll’ by Dalton, Marlee felt the need to use her status and power for her own ‘selfish’ need as a way of protection against turning out like one of the women in her past. 

Additionally, both “A Father’s Sins” and “Clean Break” not only reveal the struggle of breaking free from one’s past or family’s actions/legacy but also touch upon the effects of toxic masculinity. “A Father’s Sins” shows the backstory of the twins (Rudra and Rutsam) of how their mother got brutally beaten and killed by their father (Bhagram) and “…beat[en]… for their father’s sins” (Hosein 199). As the quote shows, their father’s actions, tainted and destroyed the twins’ future and life, where everyone already has a predetermined assumption of the boys. Likewise, “Clean Break” reveals Han’s backstory where his father was also abusive towards his mother to the point Han’s mother committed suicide. Seeing the abuse his father had toward his mother, created a new ‘toxic masculinity’, in a way where Hans thinks he cares about his family by providing for them financially (accomplishing that toxic masculinity belief of being the ‘breadwinner’) but does not provide emotional/mental support to them. Similar to how Bhagram’s actions affected the twins’ future, Han’s father constantly associating emotions with weakness, affected Hans later on in the future where he also becomes emotionally absent and abusive towards Shweta “The curse could be broken with a word. One word they could utter to each other. Hema. But she found herself unable to say it to him, even by force” (Hosein 53). 

Although “A Gate to Hell” does not necessarily tell the full backstory of Krishna, since he is still a child who is growing, it still touches upon the theme of inescapable past trauma, particularly colonization. 

“Trinidad had been killed, and now it was to be resurrected. In Bell, the Presbyterian church […had] one fewer bamboo pole and one more shilling on the offering plate, brass stained with the blood of Christ. […] Krishna was the only child in the barrack enrolled there. […] They cut his hair. […] A few children were whipped harder than others, Krishna among them” (Hosein 4). 

As the quote states, Trinidad is nearing the end of British colonialism and is now being “resurrected.” While colonization has ended, its effects continue to live on through the people adapting to the new “culture.” Unfortunately, Krishna lives through these repercussions and will continue to do so because the trauma the nation endured will never be fully healed. 

In conclusion, throughout the novel, Hosein intricately portrays the complexities of generational trauma, the haunting nature of unresolved trauma, and the struggle to find peace or closure. As we learn through each flashback of these characters, Hosein ultimately reveals that what all these characters have in common is “[they are] victims of the same divine violence” (Hosein 273).

Hosein, Kevin Jared. Hungry Ghosts: A Novel. Ecco, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024.