Shut Up & Read

This is the second time this month I’ve read a book because of its cover. Yes, just like with Frances Cha’s If I Had Your Face. And gosh, my instinct didn’t fail me. Build Your House Around My Body is a book you would wanna read if you are into folklore and historical fiction.

I probably wouldn’t have read this book if I had read the summary. It has elements of ghostly, elemental supernatural nature, and I’m a scaredy-cat. Nonetheless, I found this book engaging even thought it is way beyond my comfort genre. Heck, I loved it!

This month has been about stepping out of my comfort zone, though I didn’t intend to. As I’ve mentioned in this blog, I’ve read a lot of non-fiction this month, and books not originally on my reading list.

This book follows Winnie primarily, a half-Vietnamese, half-white woman, who returns to Vietnam seeking a fresh start. But then she struggled a lot for a fresh start. We then met several characters in the book, all somehow connected to Winnie in one way or another.

What I love about it is the setting, mixed between modern Vietnam and historical colonialism, specifically the French Revolution, and the Vietnamese generational trauma it created, mixed with supernatural elements such as ghosts and mythical creatures. It has a very immersive setting. I especially like the setting of modern Vietnam—the night scenes, food, and the use of motorbikes.

This book has mixed races and mythological folklore, which turned out to be very good, honestly. I love how the author incorporates a lot of Vietnamese references to define things and tell the story. The book feels like a fever dream as others claim since all those elements are incorporated.

For me, I find this similar to One Hundred Years of Solitude. This book’s timeline spans a decade similar to the book I mentioned and explores the lives of multiple generations of a family so we can see how the historical events impact their lives. 

I feel nostalgic, honestly. The book was long, at least it feels like it. I don’t have the physical copy to tell honestly, and I don’t know from the epub pages which are long or not. But I feel a bit nostalgic to have ended this book (at 2 AM, mind you!). Haha.

final thoughts…

If you want something spooky, long, and into folklore, this would hit the spot. You would love the storytelling, the complexity of the story, and the plot progress. The plot progression is fast, so although it might get a little boring at times, you could easily get worked up again once the scene changes and you can see slowly how the characters are connected.