Heather’s Bookshelf: Linghun
Author: Ai Jiang
Released: 04/04/23
Genre: Paranormal Novella
“You wonder if the newcomers will be the same as the others. You wonder if they, too, will be unrelenting, or perhaps they will will be like you… unhaunted.”
“Linghun” introduces Wenqi as she and her parents have recently moved to HOME. Her brother has died and left Wenqi in the shadow of the “golden child”. But moving to HOME gives her the family the hope of finding her brother again- in the form of a haunting.
Wenqi’s family was bequeathed their home in HOME, but for most it’s quite a different journey. People literally linger on the lawns and outside the buildings waiting for a house to be listed. And when they are listed…
Liam’s one of the lingerers. He and his parents have been waiting on their turn for a long time. Though in different places, Liam and Wenqi have something in common- neither are quite so sure about HOME.
Mrs. lives in the home where she lost her husband. But hers is the only house without a haunting. There must be an explanation, but will Mrs. figure it out?
Trigger Warning: violence, graphic imagery, death, child death, racism, sexism, trauma
Overall, I really enjoyed this novella. While under the guise of a ghost story, it is really a tale about grief and loss with a horror twist. It is both heartbreaking and horrifying. And I loved it. The setting of HOME is different than anything I’ve ever read and I found the whole concept of the lingerer to be insanely creepy. The different emotional states and reactions Wenqi, her mother, and her father all have after the same terrible event and in HOME are clear, realistic, and terribly sad. Wenqi’s mother’s disconnect to anything (but especially her daughter) after the death of her son is agonizing for all involved especially when considering the preoccupation of a mother with deceased child and the absolute neglect of one still right in front of her. The power of grief is again highlighted in Liam’s parents decision to essentially cease existing and become shadows for the chance of seeing their loved one. I found Wenqi and Liam’s development, motivations, and decisions clear and understandable. Along a different frame of thinking was the Mrs POV. The author structured her input very differently than the rest of the book and in an unusual way that seemed to match her frame of mind and self thought. I don’t want to give anything away for her part of the story but found power in the words chosen by the author to describe her former relationship. I had a guttural reaction to the word “let” for example. The ending tied everything together while holding the tone of the tale and explaining the title of the book. This is one of those stories you should probably read more than once in order to truly understand all the layers and metaphors within it. Well done.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A tale about grief and loss with a horror twist. Truly well done in both character development and emotional bang.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Ai Jiang
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Find it for purchase here
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