After his release from prison for murdering his boyfriend in Berlin, Keith Chen returns to the rural Taiwanese village he grew up in, YongJing, even though he spent most of his youth running away from his traditional family. The youngest child of seven, Keith's parents are gone, his sisters are married/canceled/mad/dead, and his brother is MIA after being arrested for embezzlement. There's really nothing but ghosts in YongJing. And yet Kieth returns to peel back the layers of this desolate town, his family's secrets, and the truth behind his incarceration.

GHOST TOWN is a beautifully-crafted and compelling story with many layers. While the alternating POVs and various characters take some time to get used to, I was impressed by how each narrator, dead or alive, adds to a piece of the puzzle surrounding the mystery of Keith's family & relationships. This writing sacrifices the linearity of one character, but I adore the slice-of-life glimpses into each individual's regrets and sorrows.

GHOST TOWN also has a lot of interesting cultural aspects, especially when it comes to the traditions and beliefs about ghosts. Like when you enter a hotel room for the first time, you knock on the door so the spirits can leave first. These details remind me of all the little things I miss about Taiwan