The stunning historical fiction novel shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, the Waterstones Book Circle Award and the Desmond Elliott Prize
Anne Berry was born in London in 1956, then spent much of her
infancy in Aden, before moving on to Hong Kong at the age of six,
where she was educated, first at Little Peak School, then Big Peak
School, finally at the Island School, where she completed her A
levels. She worked for a short period as a journalist for the South
China Morning Post, before returning to Britain. After completing a
three-year acting course at the Guildford School of Acting, and
attaining LAMDA diplomas with honours in acting, teaching and
speech therapy, she embarked on a career in theatre. She played
pantomime to Shakespeare, and everything in between, shuttling
around regional theatres. Most memorable were seasons spent at
Theatre Clwyd Wales, Theatre Royal Windsor and Regents Park Open
Air Theatre.
Waylaid by love and marriage, Anne and her husband settled in
Surrey with their four children. In 1992 they moved to their
present home in the village of Bookham. Here Anne founded a small
drama school, running it for over ten years. Throughout this period
she wrote over thirty plays, performed by the pupils of the
school.
Anne's first love is writing, and it is now her full-time
occupation. She remembers loving nothing so well as being given an
imaginative composition for English homework at Peak School in Hong
Kong. Coming a close second is theatre, with an unbridled passion
for Shakespeare. She is an art lover, with Vermeer and Caravaggio
being particular favourites. Anne is also a keen swimmer and
walker. She has had undiminished support from her family in her
writing career.
' [A] stunning debut. A schoolgirl in Hong Kong is haunted by the ghost of a murdered Chinese girl in this story of broken family, and its hidden secrets and lies' Woman & Home ‘As heart-rending as it is innovative, The Hungry Ghosts heralds Berry as an original new voice in fiction’ Time Out ‘This is a novel as breezy as the best summer reads, yet secrets and deadly jealousy seethe at its core…engrossing’ Daily Mail ‘A stunning debut…Epic in scope and voice…so skilfully crafted, and the writing so elegant, it’s hard to believe it is a first novel’ Globe and Mail '[A] brilliant, brittle portrayal of colonial Hong Kong and vividly cruel series of first-person narratives’ Psychologies 'The vivid, sensory depictions of Hong Kong circa 1970 ignite this almost unrelentingly sad story, and Berry’s easy way of switching between different narrative voices from chapter to chapter is impressive' The List
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