Scan barcode
A review by jackiehorne
The Tenant by Katrina Jackson
3.0
2.5. A strangely-titled ghostly sex/romance novella, as both the ghost haunting the Randall House, a former Louisiana plantation house, and the young man who inherits it are owners, not renters of the property.
Jackson's writing immediately drew me in. She's great at capturing the voice of a disillusioned twenty-something black man, Noel Deslisle, whose liberal arts degree has netted him nothing but a gig at a burger joint. And now not even that, as his company is reorganizing and has cut his job. Good thing that his great Aunt Sophie, who liked him better than all her other nieces and nephews (for no apparent reason), just left him an old house in Alexandria, Louisiana. Bad thing that the house hasn't been lived in since the 1930s and is is pretty poor shape, that the town's historical commission has all sorts of rules and regulations about how it needs to be revived, and that a former occupant is haunting it. I was deeply drawn to both Noel and to Ruby, the former whorehouse owner who "stole" Randall House from her biological father but who mysteriously disappeared shortly after inheriting.
The story is rich with fascinating themes: the history of enslavement, and how we talk about it (or don't talk about it) in the context of current-day property rights. Gentrification. The student debt crisis. Yet it doesn't all come together in any organic or meaningful way. There's a lot in the story that's implausible, or simply left unexplained (Where did the $ for renovations and for living expenses come from? Why is the local lawyer so dismissive towards Noel? Why would a young woman working toward a PhD?). And the ending feels rushed and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Worst of all, there isn't much of a romance here, just sexy times. (There's hints of a past romance for Ruby, but since she's dead, that's not a romance that has much of a future on-page...)
I feel like this was a fascinating story idea that didn't get explored to its full potential, either sex-wise or romance-wise. Disappointing, because Jackson's writing is so strong.
Jackson's writing immediately drew me in. She's great at capturing the voice of a disillusioned twenty-something black man, Noel Deslisle, whose liberal arts degree has netted him nothing but a gig at a burger joint. And now not even that, as his company is reorganizing and has cut his job. Good thing that his great Aunt Sophie, who liked him better than all her other nieces and nephews (for no apparent reason), just left him an old house in Alexandria, Louisiana. Bad thing that the house hasn't been lived in since the 1930s and is is pretty poor shape, that the town's historical commission has all sorts of rules and regulations about how it needs to be revived, and that a former occupant is haunting it. I was deeply drawn to both Noel and to Ruby, the former whorehouse owner who "stole" Randall House from her biological father but who mysteriously disappeared shortly after inheriting.
The story is rich with fascinating themes: the history of enslavement, and how we talk about it (or don't talk about it) in the context of current-day property rights. Gentrification. The student debt crisis. Yet it doesn't all come together in any organic or meaningful way. There's a lot in the story that's implausible, or simply left unexplained (Where did the $ for renovations and for living expenses come from? Why is the local lawyer so dismissive towards Noel? Why would a young woman working toward a PhD
Spoiler
immediately jump at the chance to have a a two-and-a-half-some with a guy and a ghostI feel like this was a fascinating story idea that didn't get explored to its full potential, either sex-wise or romance-wise. Disappointing, because Jackson's writing is so strong.