National Network for Equitable Library Service

Ghosts aren't the only thing that can haunt a house. Trynne Delaney's debut novel explores the insidious legacies of violence and oppression--and how Black, queer love and resistance can disrupt them. With her dad's incarceration, escalating fights with her mom, and an overbearing step dad she's not sure she can trust, Asha is desperate for the fresh start promised by a move to the country. Her great aunt Aggie's crumbling, pest-ridden house isn't exactly what she had in mind, but the immediate connection she makes with her new neighbor Cole seems like a good sign. Soon, though, Asha's optimism is shadowed by strange and disturbing occurrences within the old house's walls: footsteps stalking the halls; a persistent chill; cold hands around her neck in the middle of the night . . . Fearing for her loved ones' safety--and her own--Asha seeks out the source of these terrifying incidents and uncovers secrets from the past that connect her and Cole's families and reach into the present. But as tensions with her mom and step dad rise and Cole withdraws, Asha is left alone to try and break the cycle of violence that holds them all in its haunting grip.