Build Your House Around My Body was one of the most curious books I’ve read this year, in that I’m still unsure how exactly I feel about it. Long-listed for the Women’s Prize in 2022 and set in Vietnam, this is a complex tale with multiple different threads, all connecting with the disappearance of two young women, decades apart in 1986 and 2011. One of my favourite things about this novel was the way in which Vietnamese folklore is weaved into the narrative and gives the entire story an eerie, otherworldly feeling. The atmospheric nature of the first chapter, set in a graveyard contains descriptions of a malevolent being that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget. Be prepared if you choose to read this book for an incredibly intricate non-linear timeline. The story bounces from character to character and across periods of time so quickly that sometimes it’s hard to keep up. However, the imaginative writing and the slow unravelling of how all the characters were connected really compelled me to keep reading. I loved the moments of surprise when I realised how a character was connected and came closer to learning WHY they were connected. Why the conflict? I’m not entirely sure but it felt for me like it was a novel of two halves. The first half had me completely under the author’s spell but for some reason, midway through the second half, she lost me a little. I felt as if she was trying to fit too much into an already very overloaded box and in doing this, some of the initial magic I felt slipped away. Saying that, there is something about this book that makes me keep thinking about it. I’m glad I read it and I’ll certainly be looking out for more from this author in the future. Three and a half stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 💫 #bookstagramuk #scottishbookstagrammer #reviewingbooksonthegram #buildyourhousearoundmybody #violetkupersmith #womensprizeforfiction2022 #womensprizeforfictionlonglist #memorablereads #bookssetinvietnam #bookswithmagic #bookswithfolklore #lovereadinglovebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CmUgUssrOAs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=