Why Representation Matters: Kevin Chen's "Ghost Town"-Cover to Cover Ep. 4
“Ghost Town” from acclaimed writer Kevin Chen is a family saga full of secrets, gossip, countryside superstition, and the murder mystery at the heart of their story. This book is a love letter to the generational trauma of growing up in a small town juxtaposed against the acceleration of Taiwan’s economic growth from the 1970s to the 1990s. “Ghost Town” is Kevin Chen’s second novel, and ninth work of fiction, first published in Mandarin in 2019, and since translated into more than 12 languages. The English version by translator, Darry Sterk, was longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize in 2023. The author sits down with host Emily Y. Wu to reflect on growing up under the complicated system of Martial Law where freedom of speech, personal expression, and even gender and sexuality were very much regulated. In Taiwan’s patriarchal society, women were likewise defined by their status as wives and mothers expected to raise successful sons. For Chen, these social norms all compounded by the indelible impact of ghosts and the persistence of memory…. Check out his latest interview filmed at Monsoon Books, an independent bookstore in Taipei, Taiwan. “Cover to Cover” is a book podcast and interview series featuring in-depth conversations with distinguished authors and translators. Host Emily Y. Wu invites guests to share unique perspectives on their work in hopes to explore the history, identity, and stories that shape contemporary Taiwan.
