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A review by nina_reads_books
She Is Haunted by Paige Clark
3.0
She is Haunted by Paige Clarke is a debut collection of short stories that are linked thematically rather than through the characters or plot. Themes of difficult mother/daughter relationships, Asian identity, intergenerational trauma and female friendships and desire are explored across eighteen stories.
The first few stories were quite odd and almost baffling. I did find that I fell into more of a rhythm with them a few stories in and found them easier to read. The author is Chinese/American born and now lives in Australia so it was interesting to see stories set across both countries, with most told from the perspective of a Chinese woman. The stories were sometimes witty and at times surreal.
The writing style is almost detached which is really effective but overall I just found that I didn’t connect with many of the stories. Or maybe connect is the wrong word? I think I struggled to get to the heart of what the stories were trying to convey which I think was probably more about me than about the skills of the author.
While it didn’t quite work for me it might work for you! So if you do pick up She is Haunted I’d love to hear what you thought about it.
Thanks so much to @allenandunwin for my #freegift copy.
The first few stories were quite odd and almost baffling. I did find that I fell into more of a rhythm with them a few stories in and found them easier to read. The author is Chinese/American born and now lives in Australia so it was interesting to see stories set across both countries, with most told from the perspective of a Chinese woman. The stories were sometimes witty and at times surreal.
The writing style is almost detached which is really effective but overall I just found that I didn’t connect with many of the stories. Or maybe connect is the wrong word? I think I struggled to get to the heart of what the stories were trying to convey which I think was probably more about me than about the skills of the author.
While it didn’t quite work for me it might work for you! So if you do pick up She is Haunted I’d love to hear what you thought about it.
Thanks so much to @allenandunwin for my #freegift copy.