She Is Haunted

“Paige Clark’s debut collection, She Is Haunted is a fictional study of the never-ending ending, the ending that haunts. The she in the title is a generalized one. Clark’s protagonists are women from different parts of the world, in different stages of life, haunted by different aspects of their pasts, often the deaths of loved ones. Mother-daughter and human-animal conflicts recur across these eighteen stories, as do issues of unwanted pregnancy, erotic frustration, transnational identity, and climate change… Haunting is the signature trope in Clark’s collection as well as the essence of its literary form. In every story, no matter the narrator, past time always trespasses into present time.”
—Kelly M.S. Swope, Full Stop

“Many Elizabeths appear in Paige Clark’s collection. They are zany, tender, slyly wise, and always enchanting. I laughed! I cried! And I winced knowingly along as they plunge into the mysteries of diasporic identity, intimacy, and loss. Mothers and daughters come together, fall apart. Lovers charm and feint. They haunt me, in the best possible way.”
—YZ Chin, Entertainment Weekly

“In turns devastating and hilarious, Clark’s exceptional debut collection cuts right to the emotional core of its characters and their conflicts in stories that examine Asian identity, familial relationships, climate anxiety, and gender with an astonishing sense of nuance and clarity… With a striking style, Clark consistently hits her mark, sticking each landing with breathtaking poignancy. This will not disappoint.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Clark’s fresh debut collection of 18 stories is focused on themes of family, loss, trauma, longing, resilience, climate and gender in prose that is witty, disarming and completely engrossing.”
—Karla J. Strand, Ms. Magazine

“The stories in Chinese/American/Australian writer Paige Clark’s debut collection, She Is Haunted, deal with relationships—both romantic and those between mothers and daughters—and mortality.”
—Susan Blumberg-Kason, Asian Review of Books

“With a steady narrative voice, Clark is able to show the many, often comical and irrational, sides of personal grief…. This quality of longing is ever-present in the collection, shaped by the identities of Clark’s narrators, by the grounded, relatable inner monologues, and by the isolated, sometimes fantastic settings. She Is Haunted is ultimately a profound study in what makes a person ache, the ways they prepare for it, and the things they do to soothe it.”
—Frankie Martinez, Southern Review of Books

“The collection is beautifully intimate, yet methodically layered… Intertwining pain and comedy, She Is Haunted is a testament to how complex emotional attachments are, and how many different forms coping with loss can take. The experiences the reader endures with the main characters are so emotionally raw, as Clark rejects predictable narratives for a study of struggling with identity and loss. Revolving around relationships, identity, and grief, She Is Haunted drops the reader into the story and provides only the most essential information about its world in favor of action and emotional reflection. A bitterly funny look into sentimentality, Clark’s debut manages to be introspective and playful, cathartic and comedic.”
—Samantha Loree, The Chicago Review of Books

“Clark’s debut collection of 18 stories gives keen insight into the transnational Chinese experience and the often relatable struggles and fears these characters face… Clark’s stories explore trauma, mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, identity, and grief with humor and an incredible wit that will capture readers.”
—Emily Park, Booklist