Spanning over fifty years of Vietnamese history, 'Build Your House Around My Body' weaves a compelling narrative that intertwines the lives of two fearless women, lost in different decades, who are bound by a desire for vengeance. A wealthy Vietnamese teenager in 1986 vanishes in an abandoned rubber plantation, an event that alters her as she confronts ancestral ghosts. In 2011, a disheartened Vietnamese American goes missing from Saigon, suggesting a mysterious connection to the past. Their tales merge with stories of a métis child, French entrepreneurs on the cusp of the Vietnam War, and supernatural investigators, creating a labyrinthine plot that pulls readers through colonial mansions, zoos, and the vibrant streets of Vietnam. Violet Kupersmith's masterful debut novel blurs the lines between historical and ghostly realms, promising a journey that haunts beyond its pages.