By Meghan Mazzaferro
Content warning: body horror, death, child death, sexual assault (off page), childhood sexual assault (off page), child abuse, emotional abuse, animal death, torture
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury follows two Black girls separated by ten years as they try to discover the secrets of a dark house in Northern Canada. Daisy has always felt trapped by her mother and her life, so when they finally get the chance for stability in the form of a house given to them by a mysterious relative, Daisy hopes this can mean a fresh start for her mother and a chance at freedom for herself. But there is something wrong with the house, something connected to the ghosts Daisy has seen her whole life, and to the past her mother has kept secret from her.
Ten years later, Brittney is desperate to bring justice to forgotten Black girls, starting with the girl who died in the house. She will stop at nothing to unravel Daisy’s story, even as the things she uncovers connect painfully to her own past and relationship with her own mother.
While I like a good paranormal story as much as the next person, I am an absolute coward and not great at horror or psychological thrillers. When I read the concept of this book I was intrigued but scared to read something outside of my comfort zone, but I am so glad I pushed myself because once I started this book it was impossible to put down. This book has so many secrets, so many twists and turns and people hiding things, and I absolutely had to get to the bottom of it.
The writing style is tense and eerie, and the plot unfolds slowly while revealing just enough in each chapter to make the reader uneasy and desperate for more crumbs of information. The balance of paranormal happenings with psychological and real-world threats was really well done, and the way the story explored the dangers of both supernatural and human evil was riveting.
Both Daisy and Brittney are wonderful characters, flawed and complex and scarred from their respective pasts and traumas, and they both feel so real and grounded. Daisy makes a lot of mistakes, but you never question why. Her actions all make sense, and as the story begins to escalate it becomes clear that she has no good options, which is so frustrating to read in the very best way. Brittney is sometimes abrasive, harsh, or untrusting, and she feels so deeply for the story she is trying to uncover. Both these girls were absolutely fantastic to follow, and I loved the way the story wove their two narratives together.
This book does deal with a lot of heavy subject matter, and I highly recommend checking content warnings before reading. My copy of the book included an author’s note from Sambury that details the subject matter, which is thorough and which I really appreciated before diving into this story. Yes, it’s heavy. It is dark and twisting and deals with layers of abuse and trauma. But it also explores hope, and coming out the other side of that trauma, which I found very powerful.
Lastly, I will say that it never fails to bring me joy to read a book set in Canada. Seeing my home town mentioned put a smile on my face, and I adored the references to Tim Hortons and all-dressed chips, and Thunder Bay gets mentioned!
This book is absolutely incredible, and while I do think it’s best to go into it informed, I highly recommend checking out this story if you’re interested in ghosts, cursed houses, generational trauma, or the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. I could not put this book down, and I cannot wait to see what Sambury writes next.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.