The English version of the award-winning novel "Ghost Town (鬼地方)" by German-based Taiwanese novelist Kevin Chen (陳思宏) has attracted significant global attention, receiving a good review from The New York Times.
The book review was written by Peter C. Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, describing that the novel is packed with content, like "a suitcase jammed full to the point of bursting." He pointed out that elements of the book, including characters, memories, regrets, choices, consequences, secrets, history, politics, real estate and sex are "all pressed together close, like unwashed clothes after a long trip. Open the case up even a little bit and the dirty laundry starts spilling out."
The book review stated, "All the other components, however rushed, exist in a harmonious artistic circuit, each node supporting and energizing the others. The fact that the characters sometimes feel two-dimensional doesn’t stop their relationships from pulsing with heat and feeling. It’s sealed in its own compartment in the overstuffed suitcase, and would have benefited from getting tangled and smushed with the rest." Additionally, Baker wrote, "But, as the rest of 'Ghost Town' shows so well, life gets messy, and Chen is an author who can handle it."
In an interview with Central News Agency (CNA), the Director of the Taipei Cultural Center in New York Chang Hui-chun (張惠君) said that after the "Ghost Town" was listed in The New York Times as one of the most anticipated books of fall this year, the novel has successively received several star ratings from many important professional publications and websites in the US. She congratulated Chen for entering the American mainstream market with his first English-translated novel.
The "Ghost Town" is based on Chen's real-life experience and incorporates seemingly absurd plots. With the background set in Yongjing Township, Changhua, the novel revolves around the leading character Chen Tien-hong (陳天宏), who faces a tangled relationship with his family and seeks acceptance as a homosexual after he returns home from Berlin, Germany, for some reasons.