*Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize*

‘A fascinating exploration of the connections between ancestral inheritance, diasporic belonging, and our climate future... I read it in one sitting, which took me on a moving and often unexpected journey’ Aube Rey Lescure.

Part of me always knew what the hungry ghosts wanted, what they still want. It is not vengeance. No, they desire something else, but we refuse to listen. They want us to confront our broken obligations.

Every spring during the Qingming Festival, people return to their native villages in China to sweep their ancestors’ tombs, offering food and incense to prevent them from becoming hungry ghosts that could bring misfortune. However, for the past century, a period marked by war and revolution, many tombs have been neglected. Following a record year of wildfires, Alice Mah returns to her family’s rice village in South China and finds that her ancestors are almost forgotten, and there are no tombs left to sweep. Instead, there are immense clan debts to be paid.

Here, Mah traces her journey from the rice villages of South China to her home in post-industrial England, through the Chinatowns of Western Canada where she grew up, to the islands and industries of Scotland where she now resides. As years go by and fires continue to rage, she becomes increasingly concerned about her ancestors’ neglected graves. Her research on pollution shifts into growing eco-anxiety, culminating in a spiritual crisis.

A haunting mix of memoir, cultural history, and environmental exploration, Red Pockets confronts the hungry ghosts of our neglected ancestors while seeking a suitable offering. What do we owe to past and future generations? What do we owe to the places we live?

Pages: 240, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm