A review by alphabetseeds
She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book has a slow start mostly defined by Jade's resistance to settle into the haunted colonial villa and try to patch a broken relationship with her father while also trying to deny her desire for friendship - and more - from the beautiful Florence - that escalates into the creepy and bizarre slowly and steadily to a frenzied and blurry, sort of confusing ending.

Jade's a great character who feels out of place everywhere - she's not Vietnamese enough, not American enough, not gay or straight enough - and is at odds with her desire for a fresh start at college and a drive to protect her little sister and mother from the truth of their father's abrupt departure in the past. Her anger attracts the ghosts of the house to her in different ways, but nothing is really as it seems.

I enjoyed how real everything felt while also casting doubt as to the cause or problems of supernatural happenings. Jade sabotages herself at every turn and has trouble trusting the right people.

Overall, this was a great read -atmospheric, tense, with good use of horror movie tropes intertwined with the terrible realities of colonialism and tragic Vietnamese ghost stories.
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