Published January 2024

Summary

Ever since Sana’s mother died, she and her father, Bilal, have been on the lookout for a home. When Bilal discovers a ramshackle old mansion that has been turned into grubby boarding house near the coast in Durban, South Africa, he is sure he has found the perfect place for them to heal. Sana is not so sure. The residents are a bit odd, but there’s something about the feeling of the old building that troubles her. She suspects the house is hiding secrets.

Challenge

This is my 12th book in my Around the Globe in 193 Books Challenge. The story is set in Durban, South Africa and written by a South African author. The focus is on the Indian community, which is not a community I’ve seen represented in other books from South Africa, so I very much enjoyed that perspective.

My Thoughts

This book has a gothic feel with elements of magical realism. It brought the two together in a way I’d never seen before. It was creepy and a wee bit scary in parts, but not nightmarishly so. A good Halloween season book for those of us who can’t do Steven King level scary. 

The story jumps between two different timelines – the family that built the house 100 years earlier and Sana trying to unravel the mysteries of the family that built the house. I found the earlier timeline had the more compelling characters and storyline – tragic thought it was, but it was that earlier family’s story that was crucial to providing the creepy vibe in Sana’s timeline.

All the characters were interesting in their own ways, but my favorite character was actually the house. It remembered, watched, and reacted to what was happening around it in a very intriguing way. The Djinn didn’t have a large role in the story, which surprised me given that the Djinn is in the title.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It took a while for me to really get into it, but when it hit its stride the writing could be mesmerizing.

Trigger/Content Warnings

• Cancer
• Death
• Grief
• Murder
• Racism
• Suicide

About the Author

Shubnum Khan is a South African writer and artist. To learn more about her, check out her website.