She is a Haunting

 

My Thoughts:

This is not really my genre, but I would like to read only indigenous and diverse (non white) authors so this one caught my eye. I also got a copy of this at the National Council for Teachers of English conference a few years back and quickly gave it away to one of my former students who are now teaching English just because of the gothic horror and beauty of the cover. When I was able to get my own digital copy to read from NetGalley, I must say it took me a while to start it. Again, horror and especially indigenous and Asian horror is not my cup of tea. If you have not delved into Asian horror movies or tales, take my word for it. These are more psychologically horrific than any Stephen King novel. Usually people should be afraid of real people more than ghosts, but in Asian horror, the ghosts enter your dreams and leave traces of their presence in the waking hours. 

This story about a Vietnamese American, Jade Nguyen, who makes a deal with her estranged father. If she goes to Vietnam for the summer, he will give her money for college. Jade is used to faking it and she thinks that the five weeks in Vietnam will be an easy way to get money and get out. But the French colonial house that Ba is trying to restore is somehow alive. It reminded me of the movie Amityville Horror with the weird dead insects and insect parts. In addition, there is a beautiful bride ghost that comes to her and that Jade is strangely attracted to. Most scary, perhaps, is the racist, settler colonial neighbors that Ba tries to kowtow to. Yuck.

Jade seems crazy as all gothic horror/mystery protagonists are want to be. That is what makes this so good and horrific. 

From the Publisher: 

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house--the home they have always wanted--will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

Publication Information:

Author: Trang Thanh Tran

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA (February 28, 2023)

Length: 352 pages