Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of Booklicious Podcast, where we explore new and exciting books in the world of literature. Today, we will be talking about “She is a Haunting” written by Trang Thanh Tran.
This book is a YA story that follows the journey of a girl named Jade Nguyen, who visits her father’s haunted house in a remote area of Vietnam.
Jade is getting ready to start college and is concerned about money. School is expensive, and she can’t ask her hardworking mother to contribute more.
Her estranged father, who abandoned them and moved back to Vietnam, offers to provide the money on the condition that she and her little sister, Lily, go and live with him for the summer.
However, things get complicated for Jade as she is still angry at her father for abandoning them. Nevertheless, she has no choice but to go to Vietnam with her siblings and help her father convert his French-style villa into a B&B.
Jade’s assigned task is to create a sleek and modern website for the B&B, but strange happenings at the house leave her convinced that it’s haunted. With the help of a local girl named Florence, Jade sets out to uncover the truth behind the mysterious occurrences.
Our reviewer found the book intriguing and appreciated the author’s attention to detail, creativity, and spooky imagery. They also liked the set-up, which gives us a reason for Jade’s trip to Vietnam, as well as the different relationships she has with her family members, the impact and repercussions of colonialism, Jade’s family history, and sexuality.
However, the reviewer found the pacing to be a little slow, and the ending slightly confusing. They did, however, appreciate the negative spaces in Jade’s mind, which allowed her to hold a grudge against her father, and the investigation Jade started into the history of the house.
Overall, the reviewer thought that “She is a Haunting” was a compelling haunted house story, even though it tended to drag in certain places.
That’s it for today’s episode of Booklicious podcast. Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed our discussion on “She is a Haunting” by Trang Thanh Tran. Tune in next time for more exciting book reviews.
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