The title story of this collection, 'Calling Back the Spirit of the Dead,' drops readers in the middle of a small town mystery full of corruption, deceit and strange experiences. Full of politics and complex relationships, this well-paced mystery draws the reader in and keeps surprising until the very end. 'The Boarder' is a very different tale that eloquently describes the hardship and perseverance of students in the Huanglou Township Secondary School. Contending not only with the difficulty of being far from home, but also the terrible shortage of food due to famine, the students in the school must learn to cope with the physical, mental and emotional distress experienced during a very difficult time in China's history.