This Cursed House

DEBUT In autumn 1962, Jemma Barker is so eager to leave behind Chicago and her problems that she accepts a position with the Duchon family in New Orleans without asking any questions. Upon arriving, she realizes how unprepared she is for both the Louisiana summer and the bias that the mysterious Duchons (a Black family who can pass for white) have against anyone with brown skin, including Jemma. Her ability to see ghosts might be tied to the reason she was really asked to come; the Duchons believe that Jemma can break a curse that was placed on the family. As the story progresses, readers gather more clues and will be compelled, just like Jemma, to learn more about the Duchon family and their past. The book is a true Southern gothic family saga that does not shy away from facing issues of prejudice within communities as well as from outside, while wrestling with the complications of belonging, forgiveness, and the weight of anger.