Restoration
Currently unavailable
This book is sold out right now. Leave your email — we'll let you know if it comes back, and you'll get 10% off any book today.
In stock now — readers of this book also loved:
A ghost story about restoring a home and reclaiming forgotten female histories.
Jasmina enters a grubby, abandoned house once inhabited by a great artist. Her task involves scrubbing, scraping, and plastering over cracks in the structure. These physical actions trigger supernatural events where stories from the past become active. The narrative explores how the violence of the male gaze shapes female experience. Barrera uses this setting to examine obsession and romance that fails. The novel connects Jasmina to women who lived there before her. It asks what secrets linger in locked rooms and behind barred doors. The work blends genres, creating porous borders between the living and the dead.
This novel engages with Latin American literary traditions through references to Juan Rulfo and Amparo Davila. It also connects to Western gothic roots via Angela Carter and the Bluebeard folktale. The work sits at the intersection of supernatural fiction and feminist literary critique.
📝 Description: Restoration
💎 Our verdict on Restoration
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
Readers interested in feminist reinterpretations of classic tales will find profound resonance in this text. It appeals to those who enjoy gothic fiction where the supernatural serves as a vehicle for examining the violence of the male gaze and reclaiming forgotten female histories. The narrative offers a unique blend of romance gone wrong and psychological horror, grounding metaphysical connections in the physical labor of restoration. Those seeking layered historical context and porous borders between the living and dead will appreciate how the protagonist’s obsession intertwines with previous women residents. This book is ideal for audiences who prefer atmospheric storytelling over straightforward scares, valuing emotional depth and literary heritage above conventional plot structures.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
Barrera crafts a compelling ghost story that functions simultaneously as a romance gone wrong and a feminist critique. The narrative effectively uses the physical act of restoring a dilapidated home to trigger supernatural events, blurring the lines between past and present. By invoking the Bluebeard legend, the text examines obsession and reclamation with literary precision. It suits readers who enjoy gothic fiction and psychological horror that challenges traditional linear narratives. The work’s strength lies in its exploration of how secrets linger behind barred doors and how female experience is shaped by historical violence. While it may not appeal to those seeking straightforward horror, it offers a rich, atmospheric experience for fans of Angela Carter and Amparo Dávila.
📖 Read on the blog
✍️ More books by this author Ave Barrera
🏛 Books from this publisher Charco Press
You might also like
See more →
Have a question about this item?
Ask about the edition, condition, delivery or anything else — we reply by email or phone, usually within a day.
