The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf Fiona Hartley-Kroeger Alkaf, Hanna The Girl and the Ghost. HarperCollins, 2020 [288p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062940957 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062940971 $8.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 When the witch he is bound to dies, a ghost seeks out her next of kin, her granddaughter Suraya. The ghost—whom Suraya names Pink—is by her side throughout childhood until his retaliation against school bullies and physically manifested jealousy of Suraya's new friend Jing draws unwanted attention. In a bid to escape a sinister ghost hunter, Suraya, Jing, and Pink decide it's time to find Pink's hometown and put him to rest. Pink's excessive protectiveness and jealousy cause plausible friction with gentle Suraya, whose angelic perfection makes her a rather static character in comparison to her more complex mother and interesting but inconsistently drawn grandmother. Pink and Jing's rivalry is enjoyable once they're forced to work together, however, and Malaysian ghost lore runs alongside pop cultural touchstones such as Star Wars, making an entertaining convergence of the supernatural with the everyday. Even when the narration indulges in wellworn anti-bullying rhetoric, touches of contemporary Malaysian life enrich the background: ethnic and religious diversity, layers of rapid social change, and loving descriptions of food abound, making this a plausible addition to ghost story collections looking to diversify. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois