House of Yesterday by Deeba Zargarpur

Abstract

Reviewed by: House of Yesterday by Deeba Zargarpur Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Zargarpur, Deeba House of Yesterday. Farrar, 2022 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374388706 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780374388713 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 6-9 As her parents head for divorce and her beloved Bibi jan descends into dementia, fifteen-year-old Sara is feeling unmoored, suddenly realizing that the most important people in her life are changing in ways she absolutely does not want. Her foundation is shaken even more when she is helping her mother renovate an old house and sees a spectral vision of a much younger Bibi jan who is clearly in distress. She visits the house again and finds a little ghost girl and later sees a vision of her great-grandfather forcing her grandmother into marriage. It’s clear that the rosy version of her family’s history is far darker than she’s been led to believe, but she’s terrified what the secrets might mean. Zargarpur excels at crafting the creepiness here, pulling on the long tradition of haunted houses with disembodied pattering footsteps, bare glimpses of shadowy figures, and ominous cold spots and flickering lights. Less successful is the pacing, and the drama is dampened by a lack of focus, meandering between the haunting visions, Sara’s fracturing relationship with her father, and her feelings of betrayal toward a former friend. The generational trauma of her grandmother and mother being forced to flee Afghanistan brings complexity, however, and the reasons for their secrets are sadly understandable. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois