Violet Kupersmith

Loved this book. There are characters who appear throughout under slightly different designations and figuring out who is who is part of the fun. There is folklore and humor and big time revenge. And snakes, lots and lots of snakes. I liked the fact that some of the experiences were the kind of daily semi-threatening experiences nearly every woman has had ( playing keep away with your things e.g.)
A lot of the descriptions and events are a little nauseating, but I think it’s intentional. An indictment of colonialism and sexism. For a first time author to choose to tell the story in such a non-linear way was a bold choice, but I think it works.
The best part for me was the spiritual eradication squad, sort of a Vietnamese ghostbusters. It was some much needed comic relief.
… (mais)

"Two young women go missing decades apart. Both are fearless, both are lost. And both will have their revenge."

Ok wow this book was weird. I struggled so much to keep going. I made it to the end but wasn't entirely happy about it. I should have stopped reading but there were so many good reviews, I thought it must all come together eventually. And it did, it just didn't make reading the rest of it worth it.

Throughout you are introduced to more and more characters who link themselves in through some strange coincidences. I got to the point where starting a new chapter and a new character being introduced made me groan and think "Oh no, not another one".

I did really like the ending so if you're in to strange, supernatural and unsettling reads, you may enjoy this.… (mais)

Every so often I see a book cover or title and I am immediately drawn to it. With Violet Kupersmith’s debut novel, Build Your House Around My Body, it was both the cover and the title that grabbed my attention, and I was not disappointed by the content either. The book, which is part ghost story, part folklore, part horror, and shifts often between the past and the present, has several interwoven storylines that touch on generational trauma, history of place, women’s bodies, and colonialism. The central character, Ngoan “Winnie” Nguyen, is a rather aimless Vietnamese-American woman who grew up in the United States but takes a job teaching English in Saigon, and gradually disappears into the remains of her life, both figuratively and literally. But the real protagonist of the story is Binh, a young woman who grew up with Phan brothers Tan and Long, and who died and became a ghost, or rather something a bit more ghoulish. Winnie encounters both Tan and Long during her time in Vietnam. The tale is full of colorful characters, some cartoonish even, but despite this somewhat humorous aspect, the story of Binh’s fierce independence and Winnie’s largely passive struggle with her identity is beautifully told.… (mais)