She Is a Haunting marks Trang Thanh Tran’s ambitious debut into the literary world, offering readers a gothic horror tale that’s as much about supernatural terror as it is about the ghosts of identity, belonging, and generational trauma. Set in the misty mountains of Đà Lạt, Vietnam, this novel weaves together elements of traditional haunted house stories with sharp commentary on colonialism and the Vietnamese diaspora experience, creating a narrative that’s rich in atmosphere but occasionally stumbles in its execution.
A House That Hungers
At the center of the story is Jade Nguyen, a seventeen-year-old Vietnamese American visiting her estranged father for five weeks in Vietnam. Her motivation is purely transactional—endure time with the father who abandoned her family and secure money for college. Ba (father) is renovating a French colonial villa, Nhà Hoa, into a bed-and-breakfast, and wants Jade to help with the website. What should be a straightforward arrangement quickly unravels as Jade experiences terrifying episodes of sleep paralysis, encounters crawling insects in unexpected places, and begins to hear the walls thrumming with unexplained sounds.
Tran excels at creating a palpable sense of dread within the house’s walls. The descriptions of Jade’s nightly paralysis are genuinely unsettling:
“I can’t move.
My hands, my feet, my body, they’re all there, where the mattress and soft sheets press against me. I want to move but I cannot move. Nothing but my heart does, thumping with the attic noise.”
The house itself becomes a character—sections of the book are narrated from its perspective in poetic, unsettling passages that reveal its hunger and desires. These interludes are among the novel’s most distinctive and effective elements, offering a fresh take on the haunted house trope.
Strengths: Atmospheric Prose and Cultural Complexity
Tran’s prose shines brightest in the atmospheric details that build tension and immerse readers in Jade’s experience. The vivid sensory descriptions—from the cloying scent of hydrangeas to the oppressive heat trapped in unventilated rooms—create a visceral reading experience. The author skillfully weaves Vietnamese language and cultural references throughout, never pausing for explanations that would interrupt the narrative flow.
The novel’s most compelling aspects include:
- Powerful exploration of diaspora identity – Jade’s internal struggle with being “not Vietnamese enough, not American enough” resonates authentically
- Unique horror imagery – The parasitic ant colony, insects invading bodies, and the stretching neck of the ghost Marion create distinctively disturbing visual motifs
- Queer representation – Jade’s bisexuality is handled with nuance, presenting it as just one facet of her complex identity
- Unflinching look at colonialism – The house’s history as a site of French colonial occupation, and the lingering trauma inflected on Vietnamese people, adds meaningful historical weight
Florence, the local Vietnamese girl who becomes Jade’s romantic interest, provides some of the novel’s most genuine moments. Their relationship develops with a realistic mixture of tension, misunderstanding, and attraction that feels authentic to teenage experience. Their interactions offer welcome moments of tenderness and humor amid the mounting horror.
Weaknesses: Pacing Issues and Underdeveloped Elements
Despite its strengths, She Is a Haunting suffers from inconsistent pacing and narrative focus. The first half builds tension masterfully, but the revelations and escalations in the second half sometimes feel rushed or insufficiently explained.
Some readers may find themselves frustrated by:
- Muddy mythology – The rules of the haunting and the exact nature of what’s happening remain somewhat unclear, even at the novel’s conclusion
- Shifting character motivations – Ba’s actions and intentions sometimes feel inconsistent, making his character arc difficult to follow
- Unresolved storylines – Several promising plot threads are introduced but not fully developed
- Overcrowded narrative – The parallel stories of family drama, colonial history, ghost revenge, parasitic infection, and queer awakening sometimes compete for attention rather than complementing each other
The relationship between the two ghosts—Marion and Cam—offers fascinating possibilities that aren’t fully realized. Their complex dynamic as colonizer and colonized, oppressor and victim, hints at deeper themes that could have been explored more thoroughly.
Authentic Voice in Horror
What sets She Is a Haunting apart from other contemporary horror novels is Tran’s unapologetically Vietnamese American perspective. The novel refuses to translate or italicize Vietnamese words and concepts, placing the onus on non-Vietnamese readers to keep up. This choice centers Vietnamese experiences in a genre that has historically marginalized non-Western perspectives.
Tran’s integration of Vietnamese cultural elements feels organic and essential to the story, never reduced to exotic window dressing. The altar where Jade burns incense, the food preparations, and family dynamics all ring true without falling into stereotypes.
Final Verdict: A Flawed but Memorable Debut
She Is a Haunting is a novel of significant promise that doesn’t quite achieve everything it sets out to do. The atmospheric horror and cultural authenticity are impressive, particularly for a debut novel, but structural issues and some underdeveloped elements prevent it from fully coming together.
Who Should Read This Book:
- Readers seeking horror with cultural specificity and depth
- Fans of gothic horror with modern sensibilities
- Those interested in stories exploring diaspora identity
- Readers who enjoyed Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or The Good House by Tananarive Due
Who Might Want to Skip It:
- Readers who prefer clearly explained supernatural systems
- Those looking for conventional horror tropes
- Readers who dislike ambiguous endings
Comparisons and Context
While She Is a Haunting is Tran’s debut novel, it joins a growing body of horror fiction by authors of color who are reimagining the genre through their cultural lenses. The novel shares DNA with works like:
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (colonial haunting with feminist themes)
- White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (house as character with its own voice)
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (psychological horror in a sentient house)
What distinguishes Tran’s work is its specific engagement with Vietnamese history and the Vietnamese American experience, filling a gap in contemporary horror literature.
Final Thoughts: A House Built on Promising Foundations
Like Nhà Hoa itself, Tran’s debut has an impressive facade with some structural issues underneath. Yet the novel’s strengths—its atmospheric prose, cultural authenticity, and fresh perspective on horror—make it a worthwhile read despite its flaws.
The most successful horror stories linger in the mind long after reading, and She Is a Haunting certainly achieves this. Days after finishing, I found myself thinking about its disturbing imagery and thematic resonance. For a debut novelist, this ability to create memorable, unsettling moments is perhaps the most promising sign of what Tran might achieve in future works.
As Jade discovers, houses carry the imprints of those who have lived in them. Similarly, this novel carries the unmistakable imprint of Tran’s unique voice—one that horror readers should be excited to hear more from in the years to come.
