A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens

September 1, 2023
In this smart and hilarious novel, Hugo, a Miami man distraught over the death of his wife, Meli, reluctantly works at a strip mall botanica selling herbs and totems to those who believe in the spiritual beyond. Yet Hugo rolls his eyes at all of it. He's too burdened by the reality of his financial situation, which involves owing a local debt collector for Meli's medical bills. But then the collector, whose smug face leers at Hugo from every park bench in Miami, hires Hugo to rid his mansion of a curse. In return, Hugo's debt will be cleared. Wrapped up in this page-turning plot are themes of love, immigration, politics, and prejudice. As it becomes clear that Hugo's debts are not only financial but moral, the strongest ghost to appear is the specter of his past, which includes his childhood in a Bolivian mining town and the man who cared for him when he first immigrated to the United States. Palma's writing brings Miami to life and populates it with wonderfully unique supporting characters for a wholly entertaining debut.

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September 15, 2023
A skeptical spiritualist agrees to rid his enemy's house of ghosts for a high price in this debut novel. Hugo Contreras is a babal�wo, sent by his boss, Lourdes, to banish spirits and cleanse homes around Miami. He's never actually believed in any of this nonsense, but it pays and sometimes people seem happy afterward. Struggling with the recent loss of his wife, Meli, and the weight of staggering medical debt, Hugo is haunted by his own past. When debt collection attorney Alexi Ramirez comes calling, asking Hugo to cleanse his house in exchange for clearing Hugo's debt, Hugo can't say no. Despite his innate skepticism, however, Hugo finds that this haunting is far too real and holds connections to his past. As Christmas draws near, Hugo is given three days to exorcise the spirits while making sure he doesn't become a victim himself. Palma has created a rich and textured world, with the actual Miami that Hugo and Alexi inhabit touching the mystical world while remaining all too real. Metaphors that would be heavy-handed in another writer's hands, Palma deploys with ease, swirling together ghosts, debt, colonialism, and guilt to create something greater. What happened to Meli is slowly unraveled until everything comes together at the very end in a triumph of pacing. Although Alexi is almost cartoonishly evil at times, he rings true enough to the stereotype of a rich man who is constantly justifying to himself what he's done. Split into five sections, this novel is a quick read only because it's so hard to put down; each passage is well written and propels the plot forward just enough to keep readers intrigued. A masterful tale of demons, trauma, and debt.

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Starred review from September 1, 2023

DEBUT Hugo's life is small and weighed down by debt. He has lived alone ever since his wife Melli died, and he's still paying off her medical bills. One day he receives a phone call: if he gets rid of whatever is haunting his debt collector's home, his debt will be cleared, entirely. A trained babalawo, Hugo is no stranger to supernatural dealings. The thing is, he doesn't actually believe in any of it. He thinks he'll do some talk therapy and theatrics, then walk away from his debt collector's home a free man. He's hardly prepared for what's in store. Confronted with ghosts and devils from his past, Hugo must reckon with who he is and his own journey toward peace. Readers will find both tragedy and humor in Hugo's observations of the gaping inequities of American life and will become absorbed in his personal stories of love and loss. Debt as a part of the human condition is an interesting concept that is explored through fantastical encounters reminiscent of A Christmas Carol and Don Giovanni. VERDICT A captivating modern fable set in a vividly depicted Miami, rich with Latino and Afro-Latino culture, magic, and snark.--Joanna Harris

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Starred review from October 30, 2023
In Palma’s chilling debut novel (after the collection In This World of Ultraviolet Light), a second-generation Bolivian immigrant in Miami struggles with crushing debt and searches for redemption after his wife’s unsuccessful cancer treatments. Despite his gig playing a babaláwo (a priest in the Yoruba religion) at a botanica, Hugo is skeptical of traditional rituals and exorcisms. However, his life takes a surprising turn when attorney Alexi Ramirez, who had previously sued Hugo for unpaid debts, begs for an exorcism. A deal is struck: Hugo will banish the malevolent presence before Noche Buena, and Alexi will wipe clean his debt. Initially, Hugo sees his role as a con artist, but as he immerses himself in the enigmatic Ramirez household and confronts his own past, the line between reality and the supernatural begins to blur. Palma masterfully intertwines Hugo’s immigrant journey, his intricate relationship with his late wife, and the ominous presence of El Tío, a Bolivian devil who has haunted Hugo far longer than he realized. The tension mounts steadily, with spine-tingling moments of horror intensifying as Hugo’s anger and remorse towards Alexi come to the forefront. Eventually, Hugo makes a fateful decision­ that alters the destinies of those around him. Palma’s fresh interpretation of timeless themes makes this a winner.