What does it mean to be indebted to someone? Does it mean that you have to rid them of their ghosts? Well written and meaningful.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a unique book. It follows the story of Hugo, a Bolivian American immigrant who has become hugely indebted to a collection agency following his late wife's cancer and medical bills. He works at a botanica as a babalawo, even though he doesn't believe in spirits or their exorcism. When Alexi Ramirez, his debt collector, calls one day about a haunting, Hugo strikes a deal: he will help Alexi if he will wipe his debt.

This is a strange book, but I was so captivated by the writing and the multiple was it explores the idea of a haunting. Hugo is haunted by his childhood, by multiple poor decisions, by his wife's medical debt, and by literal demons. I loved the way the author looked at the way metaphorical demons can become physical ones. I was also very impressed with the palpable sadness of Hugo's life that the author was able to express.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I hate when I get to the end of a story and I’m not quite sure whether I understand what just happened. This is nowhere near as bad as “Triangle of Sadness,” a movie which I cannot emphatically enough caution you not to waste your time watching. However, there is something very unsatisfying about reading an ending that isn’t clear. I’m still giving the book five stars because it is so well written. And on the bright side, it’s not a cliffhanger.

The themes of this book are guilt and indebtedness—monetarily, emotionally, socially, psychically, and any other -ally word I can’t think of at the moment. Hugo, the main character, is beset by guilt and a gnawing sense of indebtedness that never seems to go away. He feels guilty because of the death of his wife, Meli, and much of the story is spent reliving his life with her and where he feels he messed up. Another part of the story is spent lamenting the death of his brother when he was still quite young himself, as well as people he lost touch with over the years—people who loved and cared for him growing up. He blames his feelings of indebtedness on Alexi Ramirez, the man who owns the company that purchased all of Hugo’s financial debt (some of which was incurred through medical bills when Meli was combating cancer), and he harbors great animosity toward him. Some of the descriptions of the indebtedness that Hugo feels are inspired, with a level of personification that is impressive:

“...he’d feel his indebtedness drop into bed with him, this invisible thing. Sometimes it would take hold of his hand, kiss him, then wrap itself around his chest so that it hurt to breathe, or it would slap him awake and demand attention. It was impossible to sleep. It was impossible to imagine a future.”

“Hugo’s indebtedness, which had been trying to latch onto him all day, slunk to the ground and pooled around his feet. Hugo stomped through it, kicking it so that it felt, for a moment, as if he’d actually conquered his dets once and for all.”

The story takes place in Miami and prominently features Cuban descendants of immigrants and their very conservative political and social views, combined with the old-world superstitions with which they grew up. Hugo, recently widowed, is a babaláwo, a kind of spiritual healer/exorcist who practices Santería, although he doesn’t actually believe in any of it. However, he does have his own superstitions, mostly related to the mountain god where he grew up in Bolivia. He works for Lourdes at a botanica where many people come for spiritual amulets and advice. She continually tells him that he has a power he doesn’t recognize, and that’s why she uses him as a healer.

As luck would have it, Alexi contacts Lourdes because he believes his home is haunted, and because Lourdes knows that Alexi holds Hugo’s debt, she sends him to perform the exorcism. In exchange for his services, Hugo negotiates a dismissal of all debt held by Alexi. But Hugo’s disdain for Alexi is difficult for him to overcome, and he can’t resist pushing him into doing humiliating things as his part of eliminating the bad spirits. Every time he sees Alexi, he has condemnatory and judgmental thoughts. The first thing he notices about Alexi is “...the outfit choice was fitting, but neither Alexi’s shirt nor his shorts fit him in the least…” And seeing Alexi’s home, he thought, “It was a lovely arrangement for someone as tacky as him…” And later, “Hugo felt as if he were inside the idea of a home and not a home itself.” Not only does this show how much Hugo doesn’t respect him, but it also represents the insincere and false persona portrayed by Alexi. At times, Hugo even begins to feel a small bit of empathy for the man, but he especially forms a connection with Dulce, Alexi’s young daughter. It becomes apparent that Hugo had wanted to have children of his own with Meli, but she never wanted any, so they didn’t. Although he undoubtedly loved her deeply, he also feels a lot of regret about their decision, and we see him watching children play with a sense of wistfulness and melancholy.

TLDR: Hugo is mentally and emotionally complicated due to his early childhood and this has persisted throughout his life. He is hounded by his feelings of guilt and indebtedness.

Hugo and Alexi’s interactions, told from Hugo’s POV are interesting. Hugo hopes for something terrible to happen to Alexi and “...he imagined the walls breaking away, and he imagined pushing Alexi out into the open air and watching him fall and fall, like a little bug, like a little dot on a matrix, not a person, just a statistic in some death report, in some digital archive—falling right into a blot of black ink on a spreadsheet.”

When invited to dine with Alexi and his family upon his first visit to their house, “Hugo felt at his mercy, a saltshaker at the dinner table. It reminded him of the way his indebtedness would seize his wrist and turn over his forearm, exposing the network of veins and capillaries along his wrist.”

Throughout the book, there are touching and evocative descriptions, and Hugo’s confusion and sadness are palpable. There are things he did which he regrets, and there are too many things he failed to do when he had the chance. Ultimately, even when his indebtedness is seemingly wiped away, he discovers a deeper one beneath that. Combined with his never-ending guilt, Hugo is impotent to fight against it.

I found this book to be very interesting and intriguing. I would recommend this a friend because this is a book for everyone. I really enjoyed emerging myself into this book and it was just wonderful. This book evened my eyes to quite a few things and it’s one of those books that I’ll think about for quite awhile.

This book was nothing like I thought it was. I was expecting a horror novel about a haunting and instead I got a rough retelling of the Christmas Carol. At first I was like oh its Christmas okay. But then it kept getting more like the Christmas Carol. I'm not sure if the author even intended that at all but it's what I thought of. The main character has 3 "visions" of people from his past and present. The book wasn't bad just not what I expected at all. Also Hugo was just a whiny baby.




Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This Miami based literary horror novel has a haunting premise: “all devils dabbled in debt”—material and spiritual. The story centers on guilt-ridden widower Hugo Contreras, a santeria babaláwo, who has the opportunity to wreak revenge on his arch nemesis. After worsening Hugo’s suffering through his wife’s sickness and death, attorney Alexi Ramirez wants help ridding his ostentatious home of unruly specters. In this ingeniously executed debut, the twin torments of grief and regret are made fresh through twenty-first century challenges like an unequal medical system and debt. Palma’s tale is also distinguished by pitch dark humor and striking sentences. Hugo feels “impotent, poor in the world: a bee with its abdomen removed.” Each twist and incisive line is honed to maximal effect.

--Full review published on BookPage.com

Delve into the realm of the supernatural and explore the weight of the devil's bargain in Raul Palma's captivating horror novel, "A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens."

Hugo Contreras, a babalawo, a practitioner of Santería, finds himself entangled in a chilling case that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural. Alexi, a wealthy and ruthless businessman, seeks Hugo's help to cleanse his home of a malevolent spirit that has been tormenting his family.

As Hugo delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers a disturbing past that links Alexi's family to a powerful demon known as El Tio. The spirit's presence grows stronger, threatening to consume Alexi and his family, and Hugo must confront his own demons to protect them.

Palma masterfully blends elements of horror, magical realism, and social commentary, creating a captivating and thought-provoking narrative. Hugo's struggles with his past and his moral compass add depth to the story, making him a relatable and compelling protagonist.

The characters are well-developed and complex, their motivations and actions driven by a mix of fear, desperation, and the desire for power. The supernatural elements are interwoven seamlessly with the realistic setting of Hialeah Gardens, creating a chilling atmosphere that lingers long after the story ends.

"A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens" is a captivating tale of the supernatural, exploring themes of guilt, redemption, and the power of the past. Palma's writing is engaging and atmospheric, transporting the reader into a world where the boundaries between the living and the dead are blurred.

Going into the novel initially and reading its synopsis, I thought A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens would be a run-of-the-mill ghost/horror story, but in fact, the novel is much deeper than the haunting at the surface. At its core, this novel is a story about overcoming grief, trauma, and the past that can sometimes haunt us.

The main character of the story, Hugo, pretends to be a babaláwo as he doesn’t believe in ghosts at all. But when he has a chance to be rid of his debts he decides to take the job of helping Alexei his debt collector whose house is haunted. Throughout the course of the story, Hugo weaves through the past and present coming to terms with many painful things he’s been trying to avoid. On top of that, the book includes many moments of supernatural horror along Hugo’s journey as he starts to experience his own haunting. Rather than being outright in your face, many of these elements sit in the background until the climactic ending of the novel.

I didn’t particularly care for Hugo as a character and while at times I felt empathetic towards him and his many regrets, I also felt like some of his troubles were put on himself (and he continually blamed others instead of facing the truth). He was a bit of an unlikable narrator who treated people badly and his outright anger towards everyone and everything.

As a whole this novel was very underwhelming and the pacing was so slow (a bit too slow in my opinion). I felt that the author was trying to tackle a lot of topics within the story and the way the themes were layered was sometimes confusing and hard to follow. If you’re looking for a traditional ghost story (like I was) maybe skip this novel. But I did enjoy how the novel explores the concept of being indebted to someone else whether that be financially, emotionally, or culturally.

I had different expectations of what the story would be-- I was expecting a darker story, maybe one with monsters and evil things.
While the story doesn't quite take that route, it definitely kept my attention, and was an interesting trip.

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens is a slow burn debut novel that will make you wonder what's really making those creaking sounds in your house in the middle of the night. When a debt collector finds himself with a possible haunted house, he reaches out to one of his debtors for spiritual help.

This debut novel looks at the power of spiritualism but also love, grief, forgiveness, classism, and one's own visibility. The actual haunting is a side note to the story of Hugo Contreras, who's dealing with his own demons while trying to banish one. I found this novel to be a quick one and one I didn't want to put down. I can't wait to see what Raul Palma writes in the future. Big thanks to his wife who told him he should expand this story into a novel from the short story it was originally made for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

I loved this book. It was excellently written and paced. The characters are so well written and you really get a sense of their motivations and psyche’s. It is creepy with a purpose and I was here for it all. I will be recommending this book to everyone. I read a NetGalley copy of this book.

This was an odd one but I was actually surprised by how much it grabbed my attention and kept me interested throughout. It’s super trippy and there’s some really interesting cultural elements too, it definitely didn’t scare me but there were some creepy parts for sure. Thank you to Dutton Books, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for my copy!

I think if you go into this story with the right expectations, you may enjoy it. Unfortunately, I thought this would be a book with ghost, ghouls and things that go bump in the night. I thought Hugo and those he helped would be a bit haunted and he'd need to help them

But Hugo's haunting is of the regrets kind. He has regrets and a lot of guilt around the recent loss of his wife. He's angry over a debt and an attorney debt collector, and finds a way to get revenge and also be debt-free. He ruminates over his life and choices a lot, and the chapters flash back often to his wife and their previous life together as well as some flashbacks with his brother. If I'd known this was a haunting of regrets type of read, I would have gone with with a different expectation. As it stood, I was hoping for a spooky October read and I didn't find that here.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

What I loved about this book:
1. It was a genre that I don't normally read and there were a few clever parts to the book.
2. It was fast paced.

What I wished was different:
1. A character that I would have felt empathy with - Hugo was a mess and I didn't care.
2. Confusing ending...and I read it twice!
3. Jumped around between past and present without clear delineation.

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was a great slow burn horror book!!! As much as I wanted to hate Hugo, I just couldn’t!! The author did an amazing job writing the characters.

I loved the culture and the curandero themes. Looking forward to more books by this author.

Hugo is a man with the weight of the world hanging around his neck. His wife died too soon, and the medical debt she incurred still needs to be paid. He’s barely surviving, and has grown more and more bitter, especially against his debt collector,Alexi Ramirez.
But fate seems to finally deal him a fair hand. Alexi’s home is haunted, and in exchange for Hugo banishing the spirits, he will cancel his debts. This is Hugo’s job; the only thing is that he doesn’t believe in what he does. But this time what he thinks will be a scam that will greatly benefit him, makes a believer out of him instead. During his journey to free Alexi and his family, Hugo travels through his past, recounting how he got here and mourning his losses. I won’t venture into spoiler territory and tell you if he succeeds, but I will say it was quite a journey.
I expected a little more straight horror than I got. I didn’t really like Hugo at first either. As the book progressed though, and I learned more about his life, I wanted him to not only succeed, but also to find some peace. I wound up enjoying this book much more than I thought I would at the beginning.

Hugo is drowning in debt after the death of his wife. Tired of his debt haunting him, he strikes a deal with his debt collector. As a Babaláwo, his debtor asks him to rid the spirits haunting his luxurious estate, and in exchange he will cancel his debt. Hugo, cynical of spirits and ex, sees this as the perfect opportunity to both get even and start over. Instead, he ends up going to the depths of his own darkness to face his own terrors and childhood traumas from working in the mines of Bolivia as a child and then immigrating to the US.
The themes of child labor, colonialism, colorism, medical debt, and the trauma of diaspora tied down with the leyenda de El Tío weave a terrifying tale with real and magical devils. There were parts that really hit home for me, especially the disconnect that Hugo felt with his country and his frustration with the medical care in the U.S.

I wanted to love this book since it sounded so good and dealt with such an interesting topic. Just the fact that Hugo didn’t believe while working in the spiritual field sounded pretty intriguing since he had to work with an enemy to stop a haunting.
But the more the story went on, the more I loathed Hugo and didn’t necessarily want things to work out for him. He was an awful person and everything that happened to him and the people around him seemed like karma.. I don’t think we were supposed to hate him and we’re instead supposed to see the flaws that make him human, but I just didn’t care what happened to him.

Special thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

AHIHG. Was not a horror. Also, it was not that bad after I knew it wasn't going to be a horror, I didn't put it down. For those of us who don't speak Spanish beware there are some parts thrown in with no explanation. Some sentences were jumbled, but all in all,it was okay if you don't mind the word "indebtedness" on almost every page of the first half of the book.

Hugo, A spiritual medium, has lost his wife and therefore has nothing to live for. He makes money with his old sleight of hand tricks of chasing ghosts. They are tricks, after all. Then there is Alexi, who Hugo is "indebted" to, or rather owes a large sum of money he can never repay in this lifetime. Alexis has ghosts in his house and if Hugo vanished them, his debt is paid. But Hugo is a non-profit believer in the spiritual world. Until, he steps into Alexis home and strange happenings are having him reflect on a part of his childhood and reflections of pieces from there, that he has forgotten.

I put together through the Spanish and the jumble that things that have happened to us which we forget and think are unimportant memories of our past, were important and forces us to take a good look inside ourselves to move on. So, in Alexis home, Hugo finally starts to believe the in the spiritual world.

Yes, I'm a little confused

Hugo was not a likable person, it was difficult to follow along with this because the Spanish sections are not translated. I feel like I missed some plot because I didn not understand what was being said