Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan is a
less known title about a small town in 19th century California
populated, mainly, by Chinese immigrants. The main characters are a prostitute,
a former prostitute, a gambling hall manager, and a preacher’s daughter (one of
those things is not like the other).
Mysteriously
one afternoon three women appear on a raft in the river, having somehow
travelled all the way from China. One of the women is the wife of Richard, the
gambling hall manager. Richard, unfortunately, is having an exclusive affair
with the prostitute, after leaving the former prostitute to be with this new
prostitute, although the former prostitute is still in love with him, and is
also the current prostitute’s boss.
Let
me break it down for you. It’s an episode of Days of Our Lives on the west coast.
From
the title, it’s easy for the reader to realize pretty early on the women are
water ghosts; Richard’s wife sucks the life out of him (by her incessant
nagging), drowns him, and comes back to life as a regular human who has periods
and everything (she is the only woman in the world to be excited about this
monthly gift).
Speaking
of menstruation, the entire novel really is female-centric, as most of the main
characters are women (and the only male character ends up drowning). The Gothic
themes of women being more in tune with the supernatural are upheld here. Former
Prostitute has visions and recognizes the water ghosts from the beginning (but
being a Sibyl, of course no one believes her). Current Prostitute ends the
novel pregnant with Richard’s baby (I smell a sequel!). And finally, the last
paragraph of the novel is literally Richard’s wife speculating on her
reproductive abilities.
The
woman is featured as a key part in any horror novel (take that, Mel Gibson).
Whether Laurie from Halloween or
Usher’s sister from “Fall of the House of Usher” the woman is repressed,
confined, irrational, and often the victor in most haunted stories. That the
female is emphasized and glorified so much in this novel is clearly an attribute
to the Gothic method.
The
plot is much more intricate than I could ever explain and it’s a slow but
worthwhile read. The amount of detail and emphasis placed on each character makes
them realistic and human. The reader is left caring about the trials each
person is facing (except Richard, because he’s basically a sleaze ball and also
a man). This book is recommended.
