This is a book that was lost to me for a really long time. The first time I read The Haunting was when I was 14 (almost half my life ago!) and on a school trip to Cambodia. The book belonged to a friend and I never really got the title.

For a few years after that, this book haunted me. I remembered the main plot: that it was about a mystery based on Edgar Allen Poe and that’s about it. I actually found the title in 2016 (I talked about it here) but the book sounded so different from what I remembered that I didn’t want to read it.

But recently, I started feeling a sense of nostalgia and I decided to reread the book after all. And it was a very interesting experience.

The Haunting starts when Lia’s mum inherits a plantation-era house that’s said to be haunted. Her mum and dad are overjoyed at the thought of being able to adopt at least a dozen kids, while Lia is apprehensive at the plan. On their first trip to Graymoss, the house, Lia encounters something that convinces her the house is haunted.

So, having read this, I can see why I remembered parts of this book for so long. The solution to the mystery was pretty smart (although I ‘remembered’ a chapter that wasn’t there!), and I found the description of the hauntings to be rather creepy. At the same time, there were issues with the book.

The biggest issue I had is that Lia doesn’t act her age. She’s supposed to be 15, but honestly, she feels a lot younger – if you told me she was 11, I would have believed it. There is a love interest of sorts and that was actually what made me realise she wasn’t a literal child – her narrative voice just feels that young! I think this was partly because of her reaction to her parent’s plan, which I’m talking about next.

The second issue I had was with Lia’s parents. I really, really don’t understand how they think fostering/adopting at least twelve children is a good idea?? I can understand wanting to adopt older children or those with siblings, but they were also talking about adopting children with disabilities and I really don’t think that two adults can take care of so many children and have jobs. I also found it really weird that Lia was so (understandably) resistant to the plan but changed her mind after meeting the potential kids once. That felt a little too convenient.

In conclusion, I see why younger me liked it and the Poe stories (plus the fact that I read it overseas) helped it stay with me for all these years. At the same time, I can’t deny that the book has some obvious weaknesses. Still, it was good to read this and finally see that yes, this was the book that I read all those years ago.

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