The Hong Kong Widow, Kristen Loesch (Review by Stacie Champlin)

Rating: 5.0/5 Stars

Wow such a unique book! The Hong Kong Widow is a mix between Gothic horror and historical fiction, set in both the 1950s and modern day. Mei, a young girl living during the Chinese Communist revolution, goes through the ringer. Her father adopts her out to another family, and she is moved to Shanghai forced to live with a family that does not really want her around. Death seems to follow her wherever she goes, and she begins to see things that others cannot. It is in this city that she meets a young boy that will help her understand her hidden talents. She is a spirit medium and can communicate with the dead.

While she uses her talents throughout her childhood, she is desperate to leave Shanghai and only returns later at the offer of a competition. To participate in six séances of a notorious haunted house in Shanghai pitted against five other mediums. While this would not usually entice Mei to return on its own, it’s a competition created by a film star who is married to the man that ruined Mei’s life. Revenge and intrigue cause Mei to return to the place she vowed to leave behind.

In modern day, Mei is helping her grieving daughter, Susanna, move past the death of her husband. After receiving a mysterious letter in the mail, her daughter starts researching the Maidenhair House murders, and Mei travels with her to Shanghai to investigate the house involved. Mei is torn between trying to hide her previous life from Susanna and trying to show her the truth of what she endured.

I really loved this book. It was so much spookier than I imagined. I literally could not read the séance scenes at before bed! The horror aspect was perfect in my opinion, just enough to keep you enthralled and reading, but with plenty of story and background to add to the spooky setting. Mei’s relationship with her daughter (and her relationships with family throughout the book) really brought a great emotional component to the story. Mei was flawed, yet strong and brave and I loved hearing her story from beginning to end.