After years of solitude in her secluded mansion, Oscar-winning Chinese American actress Vivian Yin has died. Her daughters and granddaughter have arrived at their matriarch's home for the reading of the will — and so has the daughter of Vivian's longtime housekeeper, to whom the actress leaves the house. Upset at this unexpected turn of events, Vivian's daughters are determined to keep the house that they believe should be theirs, and all interested parties refuse to leave until the others do. But after just a few days in the house, odd things are happening — strange noises and visions, unexplained injuries and anger, and perhaps most disturbing, plants and soil seem to be growing into the house at a rapid pace, grabbing at the temporary residents and then disappearing again.
Based on the description of this book, it felt like it should be a spooky gothic horror novel, full of generational trauma and atmospheric creepiness. Unfortunately, while it had a lot of the ingredients, it didn't seem to be fully mixed and baked. With rare exceptions, the five modern characters were kinda bland and hard to distinguish, though the flashbacks to Vivian's youth were more vibrant and compelling. It was also lacking in the uneasy atmosphere that's necessary in horror novels, especially gothic haunted house tales. So the idea and the individual elements were good, but the execution was just OK.
*This book will be published May 6, 2025.
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