Alvin Lu
The Hell Screens

"[T]he novel is a hypnotic venture into the uncertain reality of liminal existence. Sophisticated readers on the lookout for fresh literary talent will relish Lu's ambitious debut." — Publishers Weekly

"A contact lens dipped in tea stands in for Proust's mnemonic madeleine in this agreeably deranged first novel. . . . [S]tylish and amusing . . ." — Kirkus Reviews

Remember that in the realm of the dead, sight is also a matter of being seen. Their world is but a perfect reflection of our own. Thus, one can pass between their world and ours, if only one can see through illusion. — The Hell Screens

The Hell Screens entwines this superstitious world of spirits with the tangible body count of a local murderer as Alvin Lu's labyrinthine novel tracks the research and wanderings of its Chinese-American protagonist Cheng-Ming. Initially, Cheng-Ming finds the entire notion of a spirit world to be the illusion. Wandering among the superstitions and myths of modern Taipei, he relishes his status as an American outsider. Ghosts cannot bother those who do not believe in them. As he becomes unwittingly more immersed in Taipei's culture, however, Cheng-Ming's increasing attraction belies his insistence that his interest is purely academic.

Against a backdrop of failed double suicides and an elusive serial murderer, The Hell Screens unravels layer upon layer of Taipei's ghosts, myths and intangible realities. Boundaries are blurred as ghosts parade as humans, mocking every aspect of daily life. Cheng-Ming begins to doubt his own skepticism. He finds himself making midnight treks to the edges of the inhabited city, seeking connections between the serial killer and vengeful spirits, his own identity and his own fate.

Playing with notions of culture and chronology, Alvin Lu's ghosts mirror societal changes, becoming more modern as the Western world encroaches. Eastern exorcists perform sacred ceremonies clad in Nike sneakers with beepers slung at their hips. Ancient mysticism is woven into comic books — the inky drawings have become increasingly sacred, replacing older texts. The infiltration works both ways. The humid, spirit-laden atmosphere consumes what Cheng-Ming holds up as his Western sensibility, unalterably affecting his vision.

The novel interweaves superstition and tradition with the quotidian, blurring planes of existence. The murders thread throughout Cheng-Ming's meanderings, culminating in an obsession that may, or may not, subsume him.

Alvin Lu received an MFA from Brown University and has taught at the University of California, Berkeley. His film criticism has appeared in Film Comment, Cinemascope, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The Hell Screens is his first novel.