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wordsbyzahra 's review for:
She Is a Haunting
by Trang Thanh Tran
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a book that younger me needed. A book that made a younger, angry, and hurting me, feel seen.
Trang Thanh Tran perfectly captures several things perfectly. In particular I found that the depiction of the relationship between estranged parent and teenage daughter and the experiences of diaspora communities was spot on, and really resonated with my own experiences.
I enjoyed Jade as a character. I liked that she was so very angry (as many of us are that age) and allowed to be angry and that she did not feel and need dampen it. I got a lot of haunting of hill house vibes from this story, and whislt i loved the exploration of the different themes (strained familiar relationships, identity, diaspora experiences, and colonialism) i do wish that they were fleshed out more! I did not realise that the house was a metaphor for colonialism until I read another review. I found also the pacing a bit off in the last 100 pages. Nevertheless, I think it was a solid debut, and certainly a book I would read again. I do think She is a Haunting is a book that needs to be reread again and again. I'm sure there are so many things I missed (and I admit that confused me) during my initial read which would require me to pick it up again.
I will also be keeping an eye out for Trang Thanh Tran's other works.
I would reccomend this to anyone wanting a YA Horror featuring unapologetically angry girls who are discovering their identity, haunted houses and explorations of the impact of colonialism.
Trang Thanh Tran perfectly captures several things perfectly. In particular I found that the depiction of the relationship between estranged parent and teenage daughter and the experiences of diaspora communities was spot on, and really resonated with my own experiences.
I enjoyed Jade as a character. I liked that she was so very angry (as many of us are that age) and allowed to be angry and that she did not feel and need dampen it. I got a lot of haunting of hill house vibes from this story, and whislt i loved the exploration of the different themes (strained familiar relationships, identity, diaspora experiences, and colonialism) i do wish that they were fleshed out more! I did not realise that the house was a metaphor for colonialism until I read another review. I found also the pacing a bit off in the last 100 pages. Nevertheless, I think it was a solid debut, and certainly a book I would read again. I do think She is a Haunting is a book that needs to be reread again and again. I'm sure there are so many things I missed (and I admit that confused me) during my initial read which would require me to pick it up again.
I will also be keeping an eye out for Trang Thanh Tran's other works.
I would reccomend this to anyone wanting a YA Horror featuring unapologetically angry girls who are discovering their identity, haunted houses and explorations of the impact of colonialism.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation
Minor: Homophobia, Violence, Vomit