Linghun - Ai Jiang - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Ai Jiang

GENRE: Literary Horror Novella

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: An evocative literary novella, focussed on the living who can’t let the dead go. Allegorical, insightful, melancholic. A mood read, but what a treat if it comes to you at the right time!

Story Synopsis:

HOME, a mysterious town somewhere in Canada, is known for its special houses where the spirits of the dead can be summoned to the residences of their loved ones, who are desperate to have them back in their lives.

Wenqi is a new resident in this strange place, having moved into a house with her parents, who long to meet their dead son.

Liam is a “lingerer”, one of those persons who wait for a house in much-in-demand HOME to become vacant so that they can move in somehow and meet their departed loved one.

“Mrs.” is a resident of a house near Wenqi’s. No one knows her name, or any other personal details.

Through these three characters, we get a glimpse of HOME and its grief-stricken residents.

Bookish Yays:

👻 The characters, both main and secondary, are compelling in their own ways, even though it is tough to connect with many of them because of how they are handling their grief. Wenqi’s and Liam’s frustration is easy to empathise with.

👻 I loved the atmosphere created by the author’s words. Though HOME is just a fictitious town and the premise is also exaggerated, the book still feels rooted in reality because the dominant emotions are human, not humane – just as in real life.

👻 There is a thread of melancholia underlying the entire novella, but in some scenes, the emotional tangent turns towards a psychological horror, with a detailed glimpse at the depravity of human beings. In this sense, the book was reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, because both have scenes that induce a feeling of helplessness at the impending doom.

👻 I loved the stylistic choice of writing the plot perspectives in distinct voices. We have three characters’ points of view in the novel. Wenqi’s pov is written in the first person, “Mrs.” written in the second person, and Liam in the third person. Not only does this make each of them sound distinct, but it also makes the reading experience a fun challenge. I love all three voices equally. Also appreciate how one of the minor characters was written with the they/them pronouns without any hoohah made about them or their sexuality or gender orientation.

👻 The primary theme of the novella is grief and its varying impact on people. The book also highlights the Chinese obsession with male children, with daughters being more of an afterthought only once the son’s needs are met. It also touches upon gaslighting. Through the concept of residents and lingerers, the book also sheds light on the situational differences between the haves and the have-nots. All the themes are handled well.

👻 The significance of the title comes out only later on the book, so I won’t go into spoilers. I’ll just say that it suits the book in various ways.

👻 There are some brilliant, thought-provoking quotes – quite a few for such a short novella.

👻 This edition also contains bonus content in the form of an essay by the author and two short stories titled “Yǒngshí” and “Teeter Totter.” Liked the first one, enjoyed the second one.

👻 The foreword offers an insightful introduction to the author, to East Asian literature and to this book in particular. [Do note that it contains spoilers about the theme, so if you are like to be surprised, read the foreword AFTER you complete the book.]

Bookish Nays:

☠ I didn’t like the final chapters. They felt too rushed, and some of the content felt like it was forcefully pushed in. Until I reached these chapters, I was perched comfortably on the 4.5 star mark.

☠ Possibly because of its short length, the story leaves a few unanswered questions. I’d have loved to know more personal details about Wenqi and Liam, but the part that bugged me the most was the outdated school curriculum without any sensible reason for the same.

All in all, as my feedback skew clearly shows, I enjoyed this indie novella. I read the whole story in one sitting and found it gripping from start till almost-the-end.

Definitely recommended to readers of dark literary fiction that goes into psychological horror. (Nothing paranormal but there are a couple of alarming scenes.)

My thanks to author Ai Jiang and BookSirens for the DRC of “Linghun”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.