Four reasons to read The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

This book is nothing short of a masterpiece and has landed on my favorites list. The Haunting of Alejandra is a powerful and heart rending blend of women’s fiction and horror that will stick with you long after reading.

I received a review copy from the publisher for consideration. This does not affect neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review. I have since purchased a finished copy (picture above).

About The Haunting of Alejandra

Book Description

Reading Stats

Publisher: Del Rey •  Release Date: April 18, 2023 •  Pages: 272
Age Range: Adult • Genre: Horror •  Source: Publisher

A woman is haunted by the Mexican folk demon La Llorona as she unravels the dark secrets of her family history in this ravishing and provocative horror novel.

Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her.

Nor can they see what Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown.

When Alejandra visits a therapist, she begins exploring her family’s history, starting with the biological mother she never knew. As she goes deeper into the lives of the women in her family, she learns that heartbreak and tragedy are not the only things she has in common with her ancestors.

Because the crying woman was with them, too. She is La Llorona, the vengeful and murderous mother of Mexican legend. And she will not leave until Alejandra follows her mother, her grandmother, and all the women who came before her into the darkness.

But Alejandra has inherited more than just pain. She has inherited the strength and the courage of her foremothers—and she will have to summon everything they have given her to banish La Llorona forever.

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Content Warnings

ableism, bloody injury and gore depiction, depression, generational trauma, menstruation, miscarriage, parental abandonment, racism, religious oppression, sexual assault mention, suicidal ideation

Representation

Mexican American rep, adoption rep, bisexual main character, trans rep

4 Reasons to read The Haunting of Alejandra

I devoured this book in one sitting, unable to look away from the horrors unfolding for the titular character, Alejandra. The Haunting of Alejandra is a book that inspired so much thinking on my part and there’s no way I can do it justice with this review, but I want to try so more people can read it.

Please be aware that this book deals heavily with depression and suicidal ideation, so please be sure you are in the right headspace before picking it up.

A Story you can’t put down

Haunting and beautifully written, this is a powerful and infuriating story that I won’t soon forget. Fast paced and effortlessly crafted, the narrative captured me from the first page to the very last and made me feel intense emotions: anger, fear, joy, sadness. 

The worldbuilding is effortless and builds upon itself as the story progresses and straddles the line between the horrors of the mundane and supernatural. You never get quite comfortable but there’s a sense of relief when the focus shifts between the various horrors that Alejandra faces.

Exploration of domestic and generational horror

There are two antagonists in The Haunting of Alejandra: the generations of men who have molded their wives into their ideals and La Llorona. Both prey on generations of women and both gain power from making the women weak. As a white woman, I am not the best person to speak on the cycles of violence experienced by BIPOC as a result of colonialism but I found the connections between violence as a result of the patriarchy, colonialism, and La Llorona particularly powerful.

“A starlit sky of a birthmark. Generations of souls, she imagined. A sky full of lives.”

Alejandra is very obviously struggling mentally and her husband Matthew dismisses her feelings, gaslighting her that she “has nothing to be sad about” and not caring that she’s been slowly giving up parts of herself until she’s molded into his idea of the perfect spouse.

The Haunting of Alejandra shattered my expectations straight away with the main character locking herself in the bathroom for a few minutes of peace from her family. I expected a dutiful mother narrative front and center and while Alejandra loves her children, it’s a critique on patriarchal ideas of parenting and highlights just how thankless a job motherhood can be.

Words cannot adequately express the feminist rage that burns inside of me with every Matthew interaction in this book. The above screenshot made me audibly cackle. 

Vivid horror imagery to haunt you

One of the things I love most about the horror genre is its social commentary, how monsters and ghouls and gore are often symbols for the mundane horrors of modern life. Castro deftly balances between the two, crafting a compelling and terrifying narrative that builds on itself. 

“Above his bed hovered two eyes glowing white-hot. She could also just see pustules that resembled nipples infected from untreated mastitis oozing puss. No real teeth but razorlike nubs on gums that ground against each other. Its skin glistened wet.”

I’m the kind of reader who paints a picture with her mind while reading, so let me tell you this book delivers on the horror front. I have three separate scenes highlighted in my eARC with the comment “NOPE.”

Healing and Self-Worth are at the Fore

As much as this is a ghost story of generational trauma, it is also about reclaiming your power and healing. While Alejandra is depressed, there is an undercurrent of hope that runs through the narrative and it is gratifying to watch her seek help. You can’t help but fall immediately in love with Alejandra and want her to get out of this situation okay. 

“I watched my husband achieve his dreams while I sat at home and wanting to die, forgetting any dreams of my own.”

Essays could be written by me on how terrible her husband is: Matthew is definitely a modern horror in her life. But I like that he isn’t the mail focus and Alejandra is slowly learning her own worth while simultaneously realizing how big of a baby he is. And ultimately that is why systems are there to keep groups disenfranchised. 

“You have the power to transform anytime you want […] Sometimes in life we have to endure the death of others and the death of parts of ourselves. But it is just transformation.”

I love that learning more about her Mexican American heritage was also part of Alejandra’s journey and appreciate the trauma and healing tools that are discussed. She truly comes into herself through the course of the book as she tries to gain the power needed to get rid of La Llorona.

I received an eARC from the publisher for my honest review. This has not affected my opinions or the contents of my review. I have since purchased a finished copy.

The Verdict

Highly recommended for horror and women’s fiction readers alike. The Haunting of Alejandra is a book about learning to love oneself and heal both personal and generational trauma. It’s more than a ghost story and Alejandra is haunted by more than La Llorona. It’s also about the horrors of the patriarchy and is an honest look at the thankless reality of motherhood. This book made me cry and while I am not a mother myself, I feel seen and will treasure this book.

Recommended if you enjoyed…

Let’s Chat!

No two readers experience a book in the same way; this was mine, but what about you?

💬  Have you read The Haunting of Alejandra yet? If so, what are your thoughts?

💬  Did I convince you to add this book to your TBR?

💬  What other books centering generational trauma would you recommend?

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