In “Hungry Ghosts” by Kevin Jared Hoesin, the five sections of the novel: “A Gate to Hell,” “A Small Sacrifice,” “A Father’s Sins,” “A Clean Break,” and “Deadwater” all start with a flashbacks and these flashbacks help to explain the trauma and burden that the characters are dealing with. The flashbacks are needed to help us as readers understand the character’s motivations and actions throughout the book. These introductory sections highlight the character’s struggles with their pasts, often revealing deep-seated fears, regrets, and unresolved conflicts. For example in the section A Father’s Sins the twins dad tells his story so we can understand what he has been through that made him into this bad character he is depicted as. Just in the beginning of A Father’s Sin it states “People never remembered his name. His parents forgot to feed him. He never celebrated a birthday, never received any presents. When he bled, nobody saw. When he bawled, nobody heard. When he tried to declare his love for a girl, she didn’t know who he was. Nobody tended to him when he was sick. Nobody knew when he was fed up. And nobody cared when he left.” (Hosein 306).Many people don’t realize that a person’s past/ upbringing may affect a person’s character. Understanding what someone has to go through at such a young a tender age is very important. The lack of attention and care made him into a corrupt person but they just look at the bad he has done and not the bad he has faced. The narrative structure allows the audience to see how past experiences shape their current behaviors and relationships, emphasizing the idea that the past is always present. I’m not justifying that what he did was right, just the fact that if he received more love and affection there is a chance he might have not turned out the way he did.Also if he did not live in poverty and neglect once he got a sense of power he would not have became the controlling man he was. The flashbacks also depict moments of loss or sacrifice that have left a lasting impact on the character‘s persona. By giving us these stories outside the main plot, Hoesin wants the readers to engage with the characters on a deeper emotional level. As well as the purpose that the flashbacks can influence how we perceive the themes of guilt, redemption, and the nature of trauma within the novel. They serve as a reminder that characters are often haunted by their past, reflecting the idea of “hungry ghosts” which are the  unresolved issues that linger and demand attention. 

Hosein, Kevin Jared. (2023) Hungry Ghosts: A Novel. Ecco