A House Unsettled

“[A] thoughtful reflection on how bigotry of the past informs the hauntings of the present.”

—STARRED review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (CCBC)

Ghosts aren’t the only thing that can haunt a house.

With her dad’s incarceration, escalating fights with her mom, and an overbearing stepdad 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 stepdad rise and Cole withdraws, Asha is left alone to try and break the cycle of violence that holds them all in its haunting grip.

Trynne Delaney’s debut novel explores the insidious legacies of violence and oppression—and how Black, queer love and resistance can disrupt them.

TRYNNE DELANEY is a writer currently based in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal).They were born on the west coast and raised on the east coast in the place colonially known as Canada. the half-drowned, a poetic novella, will be published with Metatron Press in June 2022. Trynne has never seen a ghost, but they’ve been one.

• The List 2023, Toronto Public LibraryJoint winner 2023