“Elegant, assured . . . haunting . . . Fu captures [mental health issues] with so much honesty and compassion that it feels like being seen, rather than judged or punished. . . . And just like one of the novel’s ghosts, Eleanor will stay with readers a long time.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Atmospheric and measured, this is a different kind of haunted house story. Brilliantly written, it explores grief, isolation, capitalism and coming of age.” —Ms. magazine, A Best Book of March
“The chief scare is terrifically on point: buying a home.” —The Seattle Times
“Illustrates the horrors of home ownership and everyday life, brought to life by Kim Fu’s blisteringly ingenious writing.” —Chicago Review of Books, A Best Book of March
“A brilliantly written tale of grief, loneliness, and the horrors of real estate . . . A bold and searing work by a writer working at the top of their game.” —Kate Folk, author of Sky Daddy
“There’s a tingle of Poltergeist déjà vu in Kim Fu’s disquieting novel.” —TIME
“Fu can write . . . . [They] consistently deliver a mix of creepy, sad, haunting, and tense atmospheres that are truly powerful and engrossing.” —Gabino Iglesias, Locus
“Oh, the marvelous, disconcerting imagination of Kim Fu! The Seattle-based author stirs ghosts, grief, guilt and the underpinnings of 21st-century existentialist angst into her literary cauldron . . . Masterful.” —Discover Our Coast
“The story unfolds with increasing intensity. A literary page-turner.” —Electric Literature
“Part chilling real-estate horror and part somber requiem for lost potential and lost loves, woven together in an unforgettable work of literary fiction, whose adroit, incisive prose presents as a kindred spirit to that of Rachel Cusk and Shirley Jackson.” —Shelf Awareness
“Vivid imagery and rich details . . . Pull[s] readers into an almost alternate dimension full of out-of-this-world, magical elements.” —Inlander (Spokane, Washington)
“Impressive . . . A harrowing work of psychological horror.” —Washington Independent Review of Books
“Fu digs deeply into the impacts of social isolation. . . . Readers will root for [Eleanor] while commiserating with the pitfalls of housing prices and memories of atmospheric rivers.” —The Seattle Times
“It drew me in with its atmosphere, but truly snuck up on me with how deeply I came to feel for the main character. I highly recommend this one if you’re in the market for an introspective, slower paced horror novel that will leave a deep impact!” —Fiction Fox
“Home buying as horror story has become a beloved trope . . . Real hauntings, like real life, are never simple. Fu captures that with memorable elegance. Highbrow horror that’s still a page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Think Julia Armfield’s Private Rights. Think Nicky Gonzalez’s Mayra . . . wrapped in ghosts, grief, and the price of wanting more than you’re ready to handle.” —The Next Best Book Blog
“Kim Fu continues to write with sharp genre-bending prose. . . . In Valley of Vengeful Ghosts, Eleanor is haunted less by literal spirits than by the lingering effects of trauma and the very real threat women navigate in a world that wasn’t built to protect them.” —West Trade Review
“Fu is the writer to tell an immersive story grounded in earthly issues and haunted by ghosts.” —Book Riot
“Fu still instills tension with modern fears like home ownership, isolation, climate change, and losing one’s parents. It feels like a gothic novel, except the house isn’t old and decaying but new and decaying, while the never-ending rain, which is slowly eroding the surrounding landscape, creates an oppressive atmosphere.” —Diversity in Horror Fiction
“Fu’s titular ghosts, both living and dead, continue to deny Eleanor any semblance of home sweet home. Fu hauntingly, elliptically unravels their vengeful agendas.” —Booklist
“A haunting tale about a woman cracking under the pressures of everyday life . . . [and] a primer on the horrors of first-time homeownership.” —The Driftless Area Review
“Eerie psychological horror.” —Electric Literature
“Alluring. . . . a vivid portrait of mental fragility in the face of such an overwhelming situation, one that will resonate with any new homeowner.” —Publishers Weekly
“Riveting. . . . A first-time homeowner is haunted by visions and nightmarish property woes. . . . Surreal and mundane elements spiral into buyer’s remorse and emotional rebirth in the gripping novel The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts.” —Foreword Reviews
“Fu refuses to make grief simple or haunting simple. The book holds trauma, responsibility, isolation, and the strange weight of adulthood all at once, and it still manages to keep you turning pages like you’re reading a thriller.” —Bibliolifestyle, A Best New Literary Fiction Book for Spring
“A reflection of what we’re able to hold onto and what eludes us.” —Alta Journal, A Best Book of March
“This gripping story examines the nature of human connection, relationships, and the healing power of forgiveness.” —Seattle magazine
“A story addictive enough to devour in one sitting, The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts introduces a world in which quotidian fears bloom luridly into nightmare. Through Eleanor’s eyes, twenty-first century terrors are considered in all their varied forms: technological interference, the violence of loneliness, and worst, the kinds of natural and psychological damage we’ve brought upon ourselves. I looked up from this book and saw everything around me in higher definition.” —Lucy Tan, author of What We Were Promised and Tiger’s Mouth
“Gorgeous and profoundly moving, Kim Fu’s The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts lays bare the lonely abyss of grief and all of its disorienting contours. Just when I thought I would drown, she brought me to the surface, gasping for air. An extraordinary and unforgettable novel.” —Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, author of What We Fed to the Manticore
“This book has all the weirdness, madness, and surreal beauty we’ve come to expect of Kim Fu’s work. Part psychological horror, part existential philosophy, and a whole lot of ghosts—a chilling and pitch perfect experience, I read it in one feverish dream.” —Susie Yang, author of White Ivy
