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The Hunger We Pass Down
From the bestselling author of Superfan comes a haunting novel about the long-unacknowledged demons that are passed down through four generations of women in a Chinese Canadian family, and what it might take for them to finally break free of the past.
Divorced single mother Alice Chow is drowning. With a booming online business, a resentful teenage daughter, a screen-obsessed son, and a secret boyfriend, she can never get everything done in a day. It’s all she can do to just collapse on the couch with a bottle of wine every night.
So it’s a relief when Alice wakes up one morning to find the counters are clear, the kids’ rooms are tidy, orders are neatly packed and labelled. But she doesn’t remember staying up late to take care of things. As the strange pattern continues, Alice knows she should feel uneasy, but the extra time lets her connect with her children and with her hard-edged mother, Judy, who begins to open up about the dark chapters in their family history—so she can’t possibly have anything to worry about, could she?
Interwoven into Alice’s present-day narrative are the vivid, heartbreaking, and unspoken histories of her mother Judy, her grandmother Bette, and her great-grandmother Gigi, who was imprisoned and abused as a comfort woman under the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during the Second World War. As old, suppressed hurts fester, Alice and her family are left to contend with the unresolved demons—both real and imagined—that emerge from their personal and collective shadows. Threaded with the myths of the Asian diaspora and set against the gleaming backdrop of contemporary Vancouver, The Hunger We Pass Down exposes the grief, loss, and fear we all carry, but desperately wish we could forget.
Divorced single mother Alice Chow is drowning. With a booming online business, a resentful teenage daughter, a screen-obsessed son, and a secret boyfriend, she can never get everything done in a day. It’s all she can do to just collapse on the couch with a bottle of wine every night.
So it’s a relief when Alice wakes up one morning to find the counters are clear, the kids’ rooms are tidy, orders are neatly packed and labelled. But she doesn’t remember staying up late to take care of things. As the strange pattern continues, Alice knows she should feel uneasy, but the extra time lets her connect with her children and with her hard-edged mother, Judy, who begins to open up about the dark chapters in their family history—so she can’t possibly have anything to worry about, could she?
Interwoven into Alice’s present-day narrative are the vivid, heartbreaking, and unspoken histories of her mother Judy, her grandmother Bette, and her great-grandmother Gigi, who was imprisoned and abused as a comfort woman under the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during the Second World War. As old, suppressed hurts fester, Alice and her family are left to contend with the unresolved demons—both real and imagined—that emerge from their personal and collective shadows. Threaded with the myths of the Asian diaspora and set against the gleaming backdrop of contemporary Vancouver, The Hunger We Pass Down exposes the grief, loss, and fear we all carry, but desperately wish we could forget.
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2025
86 people are currently reading
19662 people want to read
About the author
Jen Sookfong Lee
15 books169 followersJen Sookfong Lee writes, talks on the radio and loves her slow cooker.
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, was published in February 2011 as part of Annick Press’ Single Voice series. It follows a young girl as she struggles to balance her first and dangerous love affair with a difficult and demanding family.
Called “straight-ahead page-turning brilliance” by The National Post and shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The Better Mother, Jen’s sophomore novel, was published by Knopf in May 2011. Set in Vancouver during the mid-20th century and early 1980s, The Better Mother is about the accidental friendship between Miss Val, a longtime burlesque dancer, and Danny Lim, a wedding photographer trying to reconcile his past with his present.
A popular radio personality, Jen was the writing columnist for CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and All Points West for three years. She appears regularly as a columnist on The Next Chapter and Definitely Not the Opera, and is a frequent co-host of the Studio One Book Club. Jen is a member of the writing group SPiN and is represented by the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.
Born and raised in East Vancouver, Jen now lives in North Burnaby with her husband, son and hoodlum of a dog.
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, was published in February 2011 as part of Annick Press’ Single Voice series. It follows a young girl as she struggles to balance her first and dangerous love affair with a difficult and demanding family.
Called “straight-ahead page-turning brilliance” by The National Post and shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The Better Mother, Jen’s sophomore novel, was published by Knopf in May 2011. Set in Vancouver during the mid-20th century and early 1980s, The Better Mother is about the accidental friendship between Miss Val, a longtime burlesque dancer, and Danny Lim, a wedding photographer trying to reconcile his past with his present.
A popular radio personality, Jen was the writing columnist for CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and All Points West for three years. She appears regularly as a columnist on The Next Chapter and Definitely Not the Opera, and is a frequent co-host of the Studio One Book Club. Jen is a member of the writing group SPiN and is represented by the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.
Born and raised in East Vancouver, Jen now lives in North Burnaby with her husband, son and hoodlum of a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
July 28, 2025
"For generations, I swallowed your family's worst pain, all your worst memories, and then you just carried on, ignorant of all the trauma I have been forced to witness and carry. Don't you see? I deserve to live now, and you deserve to toil & decay."
4.5/5 ✨ rounded up
raw, haunting & depressing. do not expect a happy ending with sunshine & rainbows, this is so so heavy but written so beautifully it was hard to put down. the fact that Nam Koo Terrace is a real place makes this even sadder.
shifting between multiple narratives during different times & places from Hong Kong during World War II to present day in Vancouver, we're following three women & the different struggles they each went through. even though the synopsis mentions a doppelgänger but that's not the main focus. to me the real horror lies within the things these women experienced, the trauma that followed after & how that trauma gets passed down through generations.
this was filled emotions. rage, sorrow, hopelessness, & depression just drip off the pages. I hated reading GiGi's POV, i found myself feeling so depressed reading through her chapters.
I loved almost everything about this...my only complaint is I was let down just a smidge at the end. there was soooo much tension & was set up to have such a great ending but it was too rushed & left me a little underwhelmed. I wish we had gotten more of the last 3-5 chapters with the doppelgänger & Alice. overall I think this is 100% worth a read for any horror fans.
trigger warnings; explicit mentions of rape (including from a family member), child abuse, alcoholism, grief, trauma, human trafficking(?), forced abortions.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5 ✨ rounded up
raw, haunting & depressing. do not expect a happy ending with sunshine & rainbows, this is so so heavy but written so beautifully it was hard to put down. the fact that Nam Koo Terrace is a real place makes this even sadder.
shifting between multiple narratives during different times & places from Hong Kong during World War II to present day in Vancouver, we're following three women & the different struggles they each went through. even though the synopsis mentions a doppelgänger but that's not the main focus. to me the real horror lies within the things these women experienced, the trauma that followed after & how that trauma gets passed down through generations.
this was filled emotions. rage, sorrow, hopelessness, & depression just drip off the pages. I hated reading GiGi's POV, i found myself feeling so depressed reading through her chapters.
I loved almost everything about this...my only complaint is I was let down just a smidge at the end. there was soooo much tension & was set up to have such a great ending but it was too rushed & left me a little underwhelmed. I wish we had gotten more of the last 3-5 chapters with the doppelgänger & Alice. overall I think this is 100% worth a read for any horror fans.
trigger warnings; explicit mentions of rape (including from a family member), child abuse, alcoholism, grief, trauma, human trafficking(?), forced abortions.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2025
an intergenerational horror is always a hit. this was unnerving which such captivating writing. i really enjoyed the different point of views and the progression of the curse throughout different eras of this family. it was genuinely creepy at times with an unsettling ending. this was such a solid horror book, been craving a read like this for a while
May 7, 2025
What an incredible read this has been!
The Hunger We Pass Down is a haunting story of intergenerational trauma passed from mother to daughter across five generations. It’s a story about sorrow, silence, rage and the lingering curse that haunts and shapes each woman.
Told from multiple perspectives, Jen masterfully unravels the narrative through shifting decades, places, and voices. From war-torn Hong Kong during World War II to present-day Vancouver, she paints a vivid portrait of womanhood across time. We hear from a comfort woman whose pain is nearly unspeakable, and from her descendant—a burned-out business owner—who bears burdens she doesn’t fully understand. Each woman deals with trauma in her own way: some protect, some confront, some succumb. Jen doesn't shy away from complexity, especially when exploring motherhood and the impossible standards often attached to it.
Now to the horror part of the book. While the book's summary references a 'doppelgänger,' the way I see it, that was never the main focus. Instead, it felt like a physical manifestation of inherited trauma—a personification of the rage, pain, and sorrow passed down through bloodlines. Because what mothers pass to daughters isn’t just genes or cookbooks. It's the inherent rage we are born with. It's the trauma we don't put a name to until it's too late. It's the pain and grief we learn to live with because being a woman means carrying and remembering all the pain and grief the women before you endured.. As women, we inherit not just our mothers’ stories, but the ache of those who came before them. The fact that the sorrow and heartache in this book are born in a historically real place just adds another layer of despair and devastation.
The ending, while somewhat abrupt and anticlimactic, felt strangely fitting. It leaves the reader with the question of whether it is possible to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and if so, how ?
Overall, this was a phenomenal read—rich with psychological depth, historical context, chilling horror, and the question of what it means to be a woman, a mother, and a daughter.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
The Hunger We Pass Down is a haunting story of intergenerational trauma passed from mother to daughter across five generations. It’s a story about sorrow, silence, rage and the lingering curse that haunts and shapes each woman.
Told from multiple perspectives, Jen masterfully unravels the narrative through shifting decades, places, and voices. From war-torn Hong Kong during World War II to present-day Vancouver, she paints a vivid portrait of womanhood across time. We hear from a comfort woman whose pain is nearly unspeakable, and from her descendant—a burned-out business owner—who bears burdens she doesn’t fully understand. Each woman deals with trauma in her own way: some protect, some confront, some succumb. Jen doesn't shy away from complexity, especially when exploring motherhood and the impossible standards often attached to it.
Now to the horror part of the book. While the book's summary references a 'doppelgänger,' the way I see it, that was never the main focus. Instead, it felt like a physical manifestation of inherited trauma—a personification of the rage, pain, and sorrow passed down through bloodlines. Because what mothers pass to daughters isn’t just genes or cookbooks. It's the inherent rage we are born with. It's the trauma we don't put a name to until it's too late. It's the pain and grief we learn to live with because being a woman means carrying and remembering all the pain and grief the women before you endured.. As women, we inherit not just our mothers’ stories, but the ache of those who came before them. The fact that the sorrow and heartache in this book are born in a historically real place just adds another layer of despair and devastation.
The ending, while somewhat abrupt and anticlimactic, felt strangely fitting. It leaves the reader with the question of whether it is possible to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and if so, how ?
Overall, this was a phenomenal read—rich with psychological depth, historical context, chilling horror, and the question of what it means to be a woman, a mother, and a daughter.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
May 23, 2025
An incredibly haunting tale about how generational trauma, passed down from mother to daughter across generations, shapes these women and literally haunts them. This novel is so full of rage, sadness, and yet so engaging.
Lee crafts this story lovingly, she crafts her characters with such care and treats the historical context of the novel with so much respect and attention. The tension throughout the novel was also very well-done. As we learn more about the women, we also learn more about the curse, and you can feel it creeping along throughout the pages.
My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed compared to the rest of the book. It gets bogged down with the inclusion of characters unrelated to the curse and who have very little development. I think this book could’ve benefitted from being a little longer to accommodate what the ending was going for.
Overall, I think this debut novel is a must-read horror experience. It’s filled with so much emotion and history that makes it hard to ignore. I’m very excited to see what Lee does next!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon Book for providing me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*
Lee crafts this story lovingly, she crafts her characters with such care and treats the historical context of the novel with so much respect and attention. The tension throughout the novel was also very well-done. As we learn more about the women, we also learn more about the curse, and you can feel it creeping along throughout the pages.
My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed compared to the rest of the book. It gets bogged down with the inclusion of characters unrelated to the curse and who have very little development. I think this book could’ve benefitted from being a little longer to accommodate what the ending was going for.
Overall, I think this debut novel is a must-read horror experience. It’s filled with so much emotion and history that makes it hard to ignore. I’m very excited to see what Lee does next!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon Book for providing me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*
October 1, 2025
3.5 stars.
This is a well-written and very dark family saga that really brought to life (literally and figuratively) the cyclical horrors of generational trauma.
This is more lit fic than I thought it'd be. I was expecting more horror elements (hence my rating), but despite that, this was still a worthwhile read.
I really liked the alternating timelines and how each POV brought each woman's experiences to the forefront of the story. It's painful how real their traumas read, and how their lives sound so realistic that it might read similar to someone you know in real life who has experienced sexual assault and domestic abuse. And if you're Asian and you have grandmothers and great-grandmothers who lived under Japanese occupation, then Gigi's chapters hit even harder.
I wasn't expecting to read Pinky's story, but I really enjoyed how she brought a Southeast Asian perspective to a story dominated by an East Asian family. The classism and wealth disparity also added another important layer to the story.
I'd definitely recommend this for people who love literary fiction about family sagas and who don't mind (or would love) an added Asian folk horror twist.
Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for this arc.
This is a well-written and very dark family saga that really brought to life (literally and figuratively) the cyclical horrors of generational trauma.
This is more lit fic than I thought it'd be. I was expecting more horror elements (hence my rating), but despite that, this was still a worthwhile read.
I really liked the alternating timelines and how each POV brought each woman's experiences to the forefront of the story. It's painful how real their traumas read, and how their lives sound so realistic that it might read similar to someone you know in real life who has experienced sexual assault and domestic abuse. And if you're Asian and you have grandmothers and great-grandmothers who lived under Japanese occupation, then Gigi's chapters hit even harder.
I wasn't expecting to read Pinky's story, but I really enjoyed how she brought a Southeast Asian perspective to a story dominated by an East Asian family. The classism and wealth disparity also added another important layer to the story.
I'd definitely recommend this for people who love literary fiction about family sagas and who don't mind (or would love) an added Asian folk horror twist.
Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for this arc.
December 4, 2025
It’s taken me months to get through this book. I just can’t sit still and really absorb this story. It felt a bit too slow and dry at times. I also didn’t connect with any of the characters and was getting a bit frustrated at times. It’s too bad as I had been really looking forward to it.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Penguin Random House/McClelland & Stewart for a copy!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Penguin Random House/McClelland & Stewart for a copy!
April 22, 2025
“Sometimes I think we are the ghosts, Gigi. One day, outside of this place, we will be nothing more than a scary story.”
What a phenomenally emotional read this was!
This is, on one hand, a tragic story about intergenerational trauma being passed on in this Asian family. On the other hand, it is a story about a haunting, a curse that follows the women wherever they go.
If you've read "Bat Eater" this year, you will like this book too as there are similarities. Such as the main characters being Asian descendants and handling superstitions with a supernatural element.
"The Hunger We Pass Down" is being told from a 3rd person perspective but switches between different generations and time periods, so you get a glimpse into the life of various women of the family.
I know the summary says it's a story about a doppelganger, but in my opinion, it's so much more than that. I would actually remove this from the summary because it isn't the core of the story, nor is it the main focus. It's more about how haunted the women in this family are, how the trauma carried on through generations and takes on the form of a curse. And how easy it is to be overlooked or lost as a woman, especially of Asian descent. (Such as myself)
"Alice knew that all girls inevitably become sad one day, when their boyfriends cheat on them, when a husband ignores them, when the promotion is conferred on the white man named Brad or Mike or Pete . When they decide they will never be pretty enough or virginal enough or thin enough for the ideal they had been chasing."
She knew she was already small, and she tried, in all situations, to make herself even smaller by being helpful, by completing the tiny tasks no one wanted and that no one would ever thank her for. If no one ever noticed her, then no one would ever hurt her. But there was only so much smallness that was bearable.
I went into this book expecting more horror, but I still really liked it, and it was an easy read for me. I liked reading about the different generations, how it all tied together, and how everyone was related to each other. It was also interesting to read about the different shapes trauma can take on.
Lastly, a trigger warning: There are explicit mentions of rape as the book describes the life of a comfort woman during the war. Be mindful of that.
What a phenomenally emotional read this was!
This is, on one hand, a tragic story about intergenerational trauma being passed on in this Asian family. On the other hand, it is a story about a haunting, a curse that follows the women wherever they go.
If you've read "Bat Eater" this year, you will like this book too as there are similarities. Such as the main characters being Asian descendants and handling superstitions with a supernatural element.
"The Hunger We Pass Down" is being told from a 3rd person perspective but switches between different generations and time periods, so you get a glimpse into the life of various women of the family.
I know the summary says it's a story about a doppelganger, but in my opinion, it's so much more than that. I would actually remove this from the summary because it isn't the core of the story, nor is it the main focus. It's more about how haunted the women in this family are, how the trauma carried on through generations and takes on the form of a curse. And how easy it is to be overlooked or lost as a woman, especially of Asian descent. (Such as myself)
"Alice knew that all girls inevitably become sad one day, when their boyfriends cheat on them, when a husband ignores them, when the promotion is conferred on the white man named Brad or Mike or Pete . When they decide they will never be pretty enough or virginal enough or thin enough for the ideal they had been chasing."
She knew she was already small, and she tried, in all situations, to make herself even smaller by being helpful, by completing the tiny tasks no one wanted and that no one would ever thank her for. If no one ever noticed her, then no one would ever hurt her. But there was only so much smallness that was bearable.
I went into this book expecting more horror, but I still really liked it, and it was an easy read for me. I liked reading about the different generations, how it all tied together, and how everyone was related to each other. It was also interesting to read about the different shapes trauma can take on.
Lastly, a trigger warning: There are explicit mentions of rape as the book describes the life of a comfort woman during the war. Be mindful of that.
May 14, 2025
This is a book that is dark and bleak and so full of despair.
It's beautifully written, but it focuses so completely on the horrors done to women that it's just a gut punch. And, while I personally have not faced some of what these women face in this book, it's all too easy to relate to them and to realize that we are all, in our own way, haunted by something.
Do not expect a feel good story. Expect rage, and sadness, and hopelessness.
An excellent read. Just make sure you're in the right mood for it.
* ARC via Publisher
September 10, 2025
The latest from Canadian author Jen Sookfong Lee is an intergenerational story about trauma, sexual assault, mental health, addiction, motherhood and so much more!! I loved the multi-timeline, alternating POV structure and the way the author weaved in creepy horror elements that kept the book suspenseful yet extremely realistic all at the same time! Great on audio narrated by Christine L. Nguyen and highly recommended for fans of books like And then she fell by Alicia Elliott. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
July 5, 2025
Thank you to Erewhon and NetGalley for this ARC.
The first half of this book was interesting and I thought well executed. It goes through POVs of multiple generations of women in the family and while some were more interesting than others, for a while it flowed well. But by the end there were so many peaks and valleys in the narrative it became choppy and unsatisfying and I'm not sure how I feel about the conclusion. The trauma was made to be completely external but not in a way that made it tragic that it's out of the women's hands, just disappointing. After so many climaxes it just fell flat and stayed there.
The first half of this book was interesting and I thought well executed. It goes through POVs of multiple generations of women in the family and while some were more interesting than others, for a while it flowed well. But by the end there were so many peaks and valleys in the narrative it became choppy and unsatisfying and I'm not sure how I feel about the conclusion. The trauma was made to be completely external but not in a way that made it tragic that it's out of the women's hands, just disappointing. After so many climaxes it just fell flat and stayed there.
September 12, 2025
✨ Initial Vibes
This is a sharp, unsettling, and deeply layered psychological horror novel about the inheritance of trauma, silence, rage, and hunger. The Hunger We Pass Down explores what happens when women are asked to bear the weight of history without the power to shape it, and what happens when they finally refuse.
📖 What It’s About
Alice is a single mom trying to hold it together. Her small business is floundering, her kids need her, and she’s stretched impossibly thin. Then one day, she wakes up to find her home sparkling clean, the chores magically done. But nothing in Alice’s life comes without cost. As the novel unfolds, we learn that the women in her family have all made trade-offs for survival, and the price they paid has been passed down, generation after generation.
This isn’t a ghost story. It’s a haunting meditation on gender, power, violence, and what we inherit.
❤️ What I Loved
The atmosphere. Domestic, familiar, and then, wrong. The creeping dread is expertly done.
The themes. This book doesn’t flinch from exploring how personal and political violence across Asia and the U.S. has impacted women, even when they held little formal power. The horrors may be supernatural, but they’re rooted in deeply real histories.
Alice. She’s exhausted, angry, and still trying. Her voice felt honest and raw in a way that made the horror all the more intimate.
The structure. Generational echoes ripple through the narrative, making the reader question where trauma ends and inheritance begins.
The ending. Some readers found it ambiguous or unsatisfying—but I found it both horrifying and exactly right. It’s the kind of ending that refuses to let you off the hook, and I admire that.
👻 Vibe Check
This is not jump-scare horror. It’s psychological, generational, and feminist, perfect for fans of The Need by Helen Phillips or Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. It’s a book that simmers until everything burns.
💭 Final Thoughts
The Hunger We Pass Down is a chilling and deeply felt examination of what it means to be a woman holding it all together while the weight of history tries to pull you under. It’s twisty, tragic, and quietly enraged. If you’re drawn to character-driven horror that confronts systems of power and the violence they breed, this one is for you.
🧠 Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(4 stars for generational grief, and domestic dread.)
This is a sharp, unsettling, and deeply layered psychological horror novel about the inheritance of trauma, silence, rage, and hunger. The Hunger We Pass Down explores what happens when women are asked to bear the weight of history without the power to shape it, and what happens when they finally refuse.
📖 What It’s About
Alice is a single mom trying to hold it together. Her small business is floundering, her kids need her, and she’s stretched impossibly thin. Then one day, she wakes up to find her home sparkling clean, the chores magically done. But nothing in Alice’s life comes without cost. As the novel unfolds, we learn that the women in her family have all made trade-offs for survival, and the price they paid has been passed down, generation after generation.
This isn’t a ghost story. It’s a haunting meditation on gender, power, violence, and what we inherit.
❤️ What I Loved
The atmosphere. Domestic, familiar, and then, wrong. The creeping dread is expertly done.
The themes. This book doesn’t flinch from exploring how personal and political violence across Asia and the U.S. has impacted women, even when they held little formal power. The horrors may be supernatural, but they’re rooted in deeply real histories.
Alice. She’s exhausted, angry, and still trying. Her voice felt honest and raw in a way that made the horror all the more intimate.
The structure. Generational echoes ripple through the narrative, making the reader question where trauma ends and inheritance begins.
The ending. Some readers found it ambiguous or unsatisfying—but I found it both horrifying and exactly right. It’s the kind of ending that refuses to let you off the hook, and I admire that.
👻 Vibe Check
This is not jump-scare horror. It’s psychological, generational, and feminist, perfect for fans of The Need by Helen Phillips or Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. It’s a book that simmers until everything burns.
💭 Final Thoughts
The Hunger We Pass Down is a chilling and deeply felt examination of what it means to be a woman holding it all together while the weight of history tries to pull you under. It’s twisty, tragic, and quietly enraged. If you’re drawn to character-driven horror that confronts systems of power and the violence they breed, this one is for you.
🧠 Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(4 stars for generational grief, and domestic dread.)
August 25, 2025
4.25
This was a really tough read about women and the hunger we pass down for safety, acceptance, and love in an ever changing world that wants us to feel nothing of the sort. Trauma lives in your bones, but because of everything we’ve taught women to be, WE’RE the ones who carry it. Are haunted by it. It’s a never ending tread to keep your head above water.
Fell apart in a few of the end scenes for me, but overall was really powerful.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-ARC.
This was a really tough read about women and the hunger we pass down for safety, acceptance, and love in an ever changing world that wants us to feel nothing of the sort. Trauma lives in your bones, but because of everything we’ve taught women to be, WE’RE the ones who carry it. Are haunted by it. It’s a never ending tread to keep your head above water.
Fell apart in a few of the end scenes for me, but overall was really powerful.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-ARC.
September 9, 2025
4.5
Dark, chilling, unsettling, and devastating. I really enjoyed this, even though I am fairly sure it will haunt me.
I tore through it pretty quickly, and found it incredibly immersive, unsettling, and dark, but also brilliant and full of heart. It was a quieter, slower, creeping kind of horror, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I received an advanced digital galley from the publisher on Netgalley, in exchange for my honest feedback.
Dark, chilling, unsettling, and devastating. I really enjoyed this, even though I am fairly sure it will haunt me.
I tore through it pretty quickly, and found it incredibly immersive, unsettling, and dark, but also brilliant and full of heart. It was a quieter, slower, creeping kind of horror, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I received an advanced digital galley from the publisher on Netgalley, in exchange for my honest feedback.
October 12, 2025
3.5 stars. I’ve first heard of ‘aswang’ from my mother during those times my younger self enjoyed hearing scary stories her own mother had told her. I’ve learned to cherish those moments, however, passing them down to my children was a challenge.
I thought the book was well-researched having read and watched so many low-budgeted movies of the same genre; local and international. Lol
I didn’t think the balance of storytelling between generations were achieved.
I thought the book was well-researched having read and watched so many low-budgeted movies of the same genre; local and international. Lol
I didn’t think the balance of storytelling between generations were achieved.
October 27, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up
September 27, 2025
I devoured this book! A truly haunting multi-generational story focusing on inherited trauma passed through the women of a family. We travel from Hong Kong to Vancouver through the tragedies that follow the family as we learn about their history and discover what is it that is truly haunting them. I was so immersed in this story and felt very emotional at times while reading. Lee did such a great job in bringing these characters to life, creating very complex, yet flawed women battling their own inner demons while trying to survive in an often very violent world.
I know a little of the history of comfort women but really appreciated getting Gigi’s perspective, even though it was absolutely heartbreaking. It’s such a dark part of history that I believe many people aren’t aware of so I for one appreciate it being included here. I wasn’t aware of Nam Koo Terrace however and immediately searched for more information about this house and its dark history. I hope many other readers will do the same.
I think this is an important story, tackling the dark parts of history and the effects it can have on people over generations. You can’t always run from your ghosts, sometime they will follow you across an ocean. A compelling and compulsively readable story that I highly recommend.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC
I know a little of the history of comfort women but really appreciated getting Gigi’s perspective, even though it was absolutely heartbreaking. It’s such a dark part of history that I believe many people aren’t aware of so I for one appreciate it being included here. I wasn’t aware of Nam Koo Terrace however and immediately searched for more information about this house and its dark history. I hope many other readers will do the same.
I think this is an important story, tackling the dark parts of history and the effects it can have on people over generations. You can’t always run from your ghosts, sometime they will follow you across an ocean. A compelling and compulsively readable story that I highly recommend.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC
October 15, 2025
I loved reading The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee! I’ve read her memoir and poetry before but this was my first fiction by her and I loved the horror elements. I loved the dual timelines of Hong Kong in 1938 and Vancouver in 2024. Of course I loved the Vancouver setting with mentions of Yaletown, Knight Street, Gastown, Fraser Street and Marpole. The specifics of the Sylvia Hotel in English Bay and driving along the Sea to Sky highway past Porteau Cove are so great to read as a fellow Vancouverite. I really enjoyed the ghosts, the way each generation dealt with trauma and the emotional ending.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my ARC!
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my ARC!
June 2, 2025
4.5⭐️ I was so surprised by how much I ended up liking this!
Alice is a single mom who’s barely holding on. She’s constantly gravitating towards alcohol bottles while also trying to be a good mom to her two kids.
In The Hunger We Pass Down, like the title suggests, we don’t just follow Alice, but also other women like her daughter, mother, grandmother and even her great grandmother.
We see how trauma is being passed down from daughter to daughter.
She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the source of all her daughter’s rage.
Usually I’m not the biggest fan of multiple pov’s but here it really worked. Every single pov felt so raw and captivating. The author definitely wasn’t afraid to make the fmc’s somewhat unlikable at times, which made them feel so real. Trauma isn’t pretty and she really knew what she was doing with this.
“Women carry everything with them.” Judy nodded. “Only men ever truly forget. That’s why they’re so stupid.”
It’s literally fiction mixed with historical fiction and horror elements and I just absolutely loved it.
It also deals with some very heavy subjects so definitely check out trigger warnings!
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the arc.
Alice is a single mom who’s barely holding on. She’s constantly gravitating towards alcohol bottles while also trying to be a good mom to her two kids.
In The Hunger We Pass Down, like the title suggests, we don’t just follow Alice, but also other women like her daughter, mother, grandmother and even her great grandmother.
We see how trauma is being passed down from daughter to daughter.
She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the source of all her daughter’s rage.
Usually I’m not the biggest fan of multiple pov’s but here it really worked. Every single pov felt so raw and captivating. The author definitely wasn’t afraid to make the fmc’s somewhat unlikable at times, which made them feel so real. Trauma isn’t pretty and she really knew what she was doing with this.
“Women carry everything with them.” Judy nodded. “Only men ever truly forget. That’s why they’re so stupid.”
It’s literally fiction mixed with historical fiction and horror elements and I just absolutely loved it.
It also deals with some very heavy subjects so definitely check out trigger warnings!
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the arc.
October 4, 2025
An exceptional novel about intergenerational trauma and the weight of grief. This was such a unique horror novel that was so raw and compelling. Centered around a family dealing with an intergenerational curse, the author was able to explore so many emotions and themes. Shoutout to this being a Canadian author and taking place in Vancouver! I really enjoyed this and definitely agree that it gave me “Us” vibes. Although this wasn’t as scary as I had hoped I was still blown away with how well this dove into challenging topics. The book also gave me “Everything, Everywhere All At Once” vibes as well and I loved it. Definitely recommending this one to horror fans looking for something that goes a bit deeper!
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “The Hunger We Pass Down” is available for purchase now!
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “The Hunger We Pass Down” is available for purchase now!
May 29, 2025
An eerie look at the sprawling effect of intergenerational trauma, specifically from mothers to daughters. As we spend time with each woman, we are left with an ever-increasing weight in the pit of our stomachs...like the feeling you can't outrun the monster in a dream. There is stifled rage and sadness with devastating effects, showing up in their lives in different ominous shapes and forms.
The only issue I took with the book is the rushed ending. I felt like pages were wasted on characters unrelated to the trauma of the curse; it just took me out of the story a bit.
I love when authors use horror as a device to examine trauma and this was an excellent example of that.
The only issue I took with the book is the rushed ending. I felt like pages were wasted on characters unrelated to the trauma of the curse; it just took me out of the story a bit.
I love when authors use horror as a device to examine trauma and this was an excellent example of that.
September 27, 2025
Couldn’t put it down!
October 27, 2025
This one was not for me—I am realizing that fiction with strong motherhood themes generally isn’t—but big appreciation for demonizing intergenerational trauma (literally) in a feminist horror.
November 17, 2025
Really strong character-driven horror story with real historical horrors, intergenerational trauma, and also some real weird doppelganger action. Loved the audiobook narrator but the split timeline would have been easier to follow in text I think
November 30, 2025
An interesting read which spans different generations in Hong Kong and Vancouver. A horror novel that doesn’t feel like a horror novel.
September 15, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing.
The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee is not a book I would normally pick up, but I’m so glad I did. The short chapters, flipping between past and present, kept me hooked without ever feeling confusing. Dark, unsettling, and full of twists I didn’t see coming, this story of inherited trauma and haunting will stick with me for some time to come. It's haunting in a can happen to anyone type of way.
The only part that didn’t totally land for me was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and left me wanting more clarity. But maybe that was the point, trauma doesn’t just end neatly, and maybe we’re not supposed to get all the answers.
It comes out September 30th so go grab a copy!
The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee is not a book I would normally pick up, but I’m so glad I did. The short chapters, flipping between past and present, kept me hooked without ever feeling confusing. Dark, unsettling, and full of twists I didn’t see coming, this story of inherited trauma and haunting will stick with me for some time to come. It's haunting in a can happen to anyone type of way.
The only part that didn’t totally land for me was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and left me wanting more clarity. But maybe that was the point, trauma doesn’t just end neatly, and maybe we’re not supposed to get all the answers.
It comes out September 30th so go grab a copy!
May 14, 2025
Haunting, hungry, and angry
Did I devour this book or did it devour me?
An impactful story about generational trauma, rage and a constant desire for justice. The more I read horror the more I wonder why I do.
Although this was very well written and captivating I personally can’t say I’d recommend it unless you want to cry, do not expect a happy ending and look up trigger warnings. Am I the only one a bit mad at the ending though??
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Did I devour this book or did it devour me?
An impactful story about generational trauma, rage and a constant desire for justice. The more I read horror the more I wonder why I do.
Although this was very well written and captivating I personally can’t say I’d recommend it unless you want to cry, do not expect a happy ending and look up trigger warnings. Am I the only one a bit mad at the ending though??
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
October 14, 2025
I feel like this story could have been so much more. I am not sure if it was the writing style (that felt too choppy to me at times) or if it was the story in general (which felt somewhat a little all over the place while actually being quite elaborate), but it just didn’t hit the mark.
I liked the idea of representing the intergenerational cascade of pain, loss, and trauma (especially for women), but somewhat wished this book to be more than it actually was.
I liked the idea of representing the intergenerational cascade of pain, loss, and trauma (especially for women), but somewhat wished this book to be more than it actually was.
October 5, 2025
I am not even sure where to begin with The Hunger We Pass Down because there are just so many elements to discuss. It is so many types of story, you see. Sure, it's horror/paranormal, but it is also historical, and contemporary, and familial, and the list goes on, really. For me personally, I enjoyed each woman's personal story more than the horror part, mostly because the stories were so complex and heart wrenching.
Alice is the main character in the present timeline, but the story is far from hers alone- she just happens to be in our here and now. Readers get insight into three generations before Alice, and one after in her daughter Luna. While Alice's story is the one we're in for the most amount of pages, each woman's story is a very significant part of the book. And please be aware, there is a lot of trauma, including a ton of sexual violence, especially in Gigi's story.
This is truly a sad story- or rather, a long line of sad stories. It tells of women who were abused, neglected, forgotten, and just plain beaten down by the bad parts of life. I appreciated that honesty, for the most part. I did hope for a bit more from the ending. A lot of reviewers feel like it fit, and I'll agree there, it did. This is a personal preference, certainly. But speaking of fitting the tone, the atmosphere of this story was incredible throughout. It was unsettling and uncomfortable, even in the comfort of Alice's home. Those awful feelings from Gigi's time in Nam Koo Terrace carry over so well in Alice's fairly comfortable existence in Vancouver. (Also, Nam Koo Terrace is a real place, and many of the atrocities that happened to Gigi are, in fact, real, which makes it all the more horrifying.)
Bottom Line: A multi-generational story of horror and trauma passed down through the years, this one is atmospherically on point and quite emotionally provocative.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Alice is the main character in the present timeline, but the story is far from hers alone- she just happens to be in our here and now. Readers get insight into three generations before Alice, and one after in her daughter Luna. While Alice's story is the one we're in for the most amount of pages, each woman's story is a very significant part of the book. And please be aware, there is a lot of trauma, including a ton of sexual violence, especially in Gigi's story.
This is truly a sad story- or rather, a long line of sad stories. It tells of women who were abused, neglected, forgotten, and just plain beaten down by the bad parts of life. I appreciated that honesty, for the most part. I did hope for a bit more from the ending. A lot of reviewers feel like it fit, and I'll agree there, it did. This is a personal preference, certainly. But speaking of fitting the tone, the atmosphere of this story was incredible throughout. It was unsettling and uncomfortable, even in the comfort of Alice's home. Those awful feelings from Gigi's time in Nam Koo Terrace carry over so well in Alice's fairly comfortable existence in Vancouver. (Also, Nam Koo Terrace is a real place, and many of the atrocities that happened to Gigi are, in fact, real, which makes it all the more horrifying.)
Bottom Line: A multi-generational story of horror and trauma passed down through the years, this one is atmospherically on point and quite emotionally provocative.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
August 25, 2025
The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee
Pub Date: September 9/25
This is a haunting, multi-generational exploration of inherited trauma, passed through the women of one family. Spanning from 1938 Hong Kong, to various time periods in Vancouver, the novel traces the aftermath of a curse that begins with Gigi, who is kidnapped as a young girl and forced to become a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers at the infamous Nam Koo house - a place with its own tragic legacy.
Each woman in the lineage faces unique forms of suffering, shaped by her time and circumstances, but an accumulated sense of dread, shame and rage connects them all. They are plagued by dreams, visions and unexplained emotions that link them to the pain of their foremothers. The novel asks: Are these women doomed by an inevitable fate - bound by a curse - or are they caught in a cyclical grip of shared ancestral trauma?
The interwoven narratives with ghostly elements are emotionally compelling and deftly constructed creating tension, fear and mystery. Each woman’s story reveals the deep vulnerability of navigating womanhood in that era and their efforts to protect their daughters from similar fates was heartbreaking.
Lee’s writing is atmospheric, and the depiction of trauma is visceral. The birth of each daughter offers a glimmer of hope, a chance for a new life and beginning; but these hopes are slowly eroded as their lives begin to mirror the same haunted trajectory.
The first three quarters of the novel is gripping and filled with tension and suspense. However, as the past and present converge, the narrative shifts to more “telling” than “showing”, which contrasted with the earlier immersive style, and was less satisfying. That said, this was a thoroughly entertaining and gripping read and is a compelling portrayal of the lingering effects of trauma and the strength of women who carry its weight.
Pub Date: September 9/25
This is a haunting, multi-generational exploration of inherited trauma, passed through the women of one family. Spanning from 1938 Hong Kong, to various time periods in Vancouver, the novel traces the aftermath of a curse that begins with Gigi, who is kidnapped as a young girl and forced to become a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers at the infamous Nam Koo house - a place with its own tragic legacy.
Each woman in the lineage faces unique forms of suffering, shaped by her time and circumstances, but an accumulated sense of dread, shame and rage connects them all. They are plagued by dreams, visions and unexplained emotions that link them to the pain of their foremothers. The novel asks: Are these women doomed by an inevitable fate - bound by a curse - or are they caught in a cyclical grip of shared ancestral trauma?
The interwoven narratives with ghostly elements are emotionally compelling and deftly constructed creating tension, fear and mystery. Each woman’s story reveals the deep vulnerability of navigating womanhood in that era and their efforts to protect their daughters from similar fates was heartbreaking.
Lee’s writing is atmospheric, and the depiction of trauma is visceral. The birth of each daughter offers a glimmer of hope, a chance for a new life and beginning; but these hopes are slowly eroded as their lives begin to mirror the same haunted trajectory.
The first three quarters of the novel is gripping and filled with tension and suspense. However, as the past and present converge, the narrative shifts to more “telling” than “showing”, which contrasted with the earlier immersive style, and was less satisfying. That said, this was a thoroughly entertaining and gripping read and is a compelling portrayal of the lingering effects of trauma and the strength of women who carry its weight.
May 2, 2025
A truly terrifying novel of generational trauma, curses, and the monsters we pass down. Lee expertly weaves together a story of historical fiction and horror; I fell in love with her writing as she meticulously and poetically described each city, decade, and leading character. We follow women from the same family as they live through starkly different journeys, based on external circumstances— from occupied Hong Kong to modern day Vancouver—but also in the stories they had to tell themselves for survival. Lee deftly tackles difficult and complex topics, of how grief and trauma affect body, the impossible standards of motherhood, and unearthing horrible events in history.
This story is so, so heavy, and I couldn’t believe the haunted house in Hong Kong was based on a true story, making the details of this novel even more horrific. I respect Lee so much for taking on this enormous burden of a story, especially with themes that are deeply relevant in our current generation. While I truly loved the book (and ended up reading it in the space of 24 hours), the ending felt too disjointed and a bit underwhelming for me. But overall, I found this novel to be insanely creative and filled with so much tenderness.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC
This story is so, so heavy, and I couldn’t believe the haunted house in Hong Kong was based on a true story, making the details of this novel even more horrific. I respect Lee so much for taking on this enormous burden of a story, especially with themes that are deeply relevant in our current generation. While I truly loved the book (and ended up reading it in the space of 24 hours), the ending felt too disjointed and a bit underwhelming for me. But overall, I found this novel to be insanely creative and filled with so much tenderness.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC
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