Malaysian writer Hanna Alkaf’s book The Girl And The Ghost was recently highlighted in a list by notable American TV show host Oprah Winfrey’s book club.
Published in 2020, the novel was recommended in the article “5 Books To Give Your Middle School Girl” on Oprah Daily, formerly known as O, the Oprah Magazine, and shared across the Oprah’s Book Club social media accounts.
Upon finding out that her book was included in the list, Hanna excitedly shared the news to her account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It is not even 8am and somehow one of my books is being recommended on Oprah’s Book Club? Like this is a real thing that is happening right now?” she wrote.
The Girl And The Ghost follows Suraya, a lonely Malaysian girl raised by her single mother. When her estranged grandmother dies, Suraya inherits a capricious dark spirit disguised as a grasshopper, leading to a complex relationship.
In the article, the book is described as a “captivating plot full of fantasy and mystery” that is at its core “about a resilient girl facing enormous ethical dilemmas and painful family secrets".
“Girls who enjoy magical characters and yet still want to engage with topics such as self-discovery and challenging relationships will find this book to be the perfect fit,” it adds.
The book, which was Hanna's second release following her debut The Weight of Our Sky, was also chosen as a 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Young Readers' Literature.
Hanna continues her exploration of the spooky and supernatural with a decidedly Malaysian twist in her next young adult novel, The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette's, out next month.
For her latest book club pick, Winfrey announced on Tuesday that she had chosen Tell Me Everything, the new novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout. It's the second time she has cited a book by Strout, whose Olive, Again was a 2019 selection.
