This Cursed House

(Paperback)

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Description

A young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth- they're under a curse In the fall of 1962, Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago--and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans . . . But Jemma discovers that this family isn't what they seem. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan. And soon, the shocking truth comes out- the Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma can break it. As Jemma wrestles with the gift she's run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons.

Reviews

An absolute marvel of a debut from a prodigious talent. This Cursed House is a richly atmospheric, utterly chilling ghost story, an enthralling puzzle box of family scandals and secretsthat's also an unflinching examination of the insidiousness of racism, the horrors of colorism, and how the toxicity of hate is a curse that traps us all with the worst of ourselves. A spellbinding Southern gothic. * Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep and Such Sharp Teeth *
A sinister and beautifully rendered Southern Gothic, This Cursed House explores the real-life horrors of racism and trauma. Del Sandeens stunning debut haunted me * Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching *
In this haunting and chilling story, an inglorious remnant of American history is handled so deftly that you won't believe it's Del Sandeen's first novel. It's hard to say which is more disturbing: the otherworldly goings-on in the Duchon mansion or the racism of the South in the 1960s * Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor *
An enthralling, twisty Southern Gothic historical full of family secrets and century-spanning sins. A remarkable debut * Eden Royce, award-winning author of Root Magic *
Del Sandeens This Cursed House is a richly layered Southern Gothic about the cruelty of family secrets and the many different ways we can be cursed. This house is full of ghosts, but its the people who are truly haunting. A wonderful debut! * Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Last Resort *
This Cursed House is a hauntingly beautiful story about how far we would go for familyboth the living and the dead. An absolute must-read for fans of gothic horror * Darcy Coates, USA Today bestselling author of The Whispering Dead *
Buckle up for terror * Press & Journal *

Author Bio

Del Sandeen lives in northeast Florida, where she works as a copy editor and writes speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in FIYAH- Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, Nightlight podcast, and Gay Magazine. This Cursed House is her debut novel. She can be found on Twitter @DelSandeen.