This Cursed House
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen, published by Penguin on October 8, 2024, is a Southern gothic horror debut that explores themes of identity and supernatural encounters. The story follows Jemma Barker, a twenty-seven-year-old Black woman who leaves her life in 1960s Chicago for a job with the enigmatic Duchon family in New Orleans. As she seeks a fresh start, Jemma quickly learns that the family harbors dark secrets and is under a curse, with expectations that she may hold the key to breaking it.
Readers will find a narrative steeped in gothic elements and historical context, as Jemma navigates her complex relationship with the Duchon family, who view her through a lens of prejudice despite their own struggles. The book delves into Jemma’s internal conflict regarding her abilities to see spirits and the weight of the family’s hidden past, which intertwines with her own fate. This edition spans 384 pages and is presented in English, inviting readers into a haunting exploration of family dynamics and the supernatural.
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One of Esquire‘s Best Horror Books of 2024
One of Crime Reads’ Best Gothic Novels of 2024
In this Southern gothic horror debut, 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, and they think she can break it.
In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old 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, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over.
But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes out: The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to 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. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.
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