The Kirkus Review
A Native American paranormal investigator finds herself caught up in a series of hauntings that may include her dead sister.
One of the most refreshing things about this novel is Wurth’s refusal to waste time on extreme worldbuilding or overly complicated stage-setting. She jumps headfirst into the action involving paranormal investigator Olivia Becente, whose clients are being plagued by a series of hauntings. Yes, there is an afterlife, and from it arise spirits demanding the attention of the living. Are they angry? Vengeful? Trying to impart a vital message that shouldn’t be ignored?
Olivia, who lives and works with Alejandro, her gay best friend, isn’t sure of their motives. But she quickly comes to understand that her sister, Naiche, who died under shocking circumstances in a Denver hotel room several years earlier, is somehow involved in the hauntings. A woman dies by suicide in that room every few years, and possibly involved in this mysterious, bloody manifestation are a suspicious cult, Olivia’s abusive ex, and a local journalist who seems determined to paint Olivia as a fraud.
Wurth also weaves in the history of the Sand Creek Massacre, an 1864 atrocity in which U.S. troops murdered more than 200 Cheyenne and Arapahoe people, mostly women, children, and the elderly. She handles the memories of the massacre interspersed through Olivia’s narrative with great sensitivity, and her portrayal of Olivia’s grief, guilt, and regret over her sister’s death rings painfully true.
The novel does grow slightly convoluted, and a few developments, like the sudden arrest of Olivia’s ghost-sleuthing partner, are more difficult to believe than the presence of the furious ghosts. But Wurth makes up for any missteps with her compassion and her insistence on the importance of families, whether they’re related by blood or not.
A scary but sensitive story that never loses its compassion for real-life horrors.
The Library Ladies Review: The Haunting of Room 904
Reviewed by Kate
It is always a double-edged sword when it is time for me to approach a book that I have been very much looking forward to. I always try to temper my expectations, because in my own mind something I am SO excited about can get so hyped up. This was always in the back of my mind when I was getting ready to read “The Haunting of Room 904” by Erika T. Wurth. There were so many things I was excited about with this title. It’s a haunting story, and I LOVE a haunting story. It has a medium, and a somewhat reluctant one at that. And it’s Wurth’s newest horror novel, and after how much I loved “White Horse” this one was really, really anticipated. So combining all these things had me buzzing with excitement and nervousness. The verdict? The nervousness was a LITTLE warranted…
Starting with the positives, I do have a good amount to say. For one, Wurth always knows how to tease out a creepy image onto the page, and for me, there are so many things you can do with ghosts and creepy imagery. There were so many moments here that really unnerved me, from sobbing ghosts described in mirrors, to uncanny movements of other supernatural beings that Olivia encounters, we have a lot of great material that really stood out in my mind’s eye.
I also enjoyed the way that Wurth described and built up the aspect of Olivia’s paranormal investigations, and how we got to see a few of her clients and cases in action. I’ve been a huge fan of the concept of ghost hunting ever since I first saw “Ghostbusters” as a little girl, and I liked the lore and process that Wurth brought through in this story with some of the cases. But the part of this book that stood out to me the most was how Wurth ties the concepts of trauma, generational or otherwise, to the story at hand, not only through Olivia’s family and the loss of her sister, but also through the exploration and connection to the Sand Creek Massacre, one of many horrendous acts of violence against Indigenous People by the United States Government. The chapters that follow the Massacre are devastating and the way that it intersects with the story at hand made it all the more emotionally powerful for me. I also really enjoyed Olivia as a character, with her snark and her scrappiness but also her vulnerability. She’s very easy to root for.
However, I did think that some of the pacing felt a little bit off, and that there was sometimes a bit TOO much stuffed into the story. We had some awkward transitions sometimes, and while parts of the story felt a bit slow, others felt rushed. In terms of overstuffing the story, I liked how we got to see different cultural themes brought into the book, but sometimes it felt like it was going a bit off track from the story that was laid out.
For example, there was a piece of the puzzle involving a Golem and a Dybbuk Box and that didn’t feel like it was explored enough to have a solid reason to have it there (especially since the entire concept of a Dybbuk Box is based on a hoax and has perpetuated Jewish stereotypes and exploited Jewish folklore for modern sensationalistic ghost hunting motives; to be fair, though, Wurth does mention the original Dybbuk Box as a hoax). Especially when there were probably other ways that these puzzle pieces could have fit together that didn’t feel like we were getting off into the weeds.
So, while this didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I still found “The Haunting of Room 904” to be an unsettling and very emotional ghost story, be the ghosts actual ghosts or the ghosts that still haunt American history.
Rating 7: Though it was a bit muddled at times, overall, I found “The Haunting of Room 904” to be creepy, emotional, and a calling out of the way that atrocities of colonialism still haunt Native populations in America.
The Horror Maven Interview
with Erika T. Wurth
Erika T. Wurth is a Native author of the new book, The Haunting Of Room 904 — a book I devoured not once but twice, and I am not usually a re-reader. Her novel, White Horse, was my introduction to her work, and I immediately loved the gritty and graceful voice she brings to the horror & thriller genres. She is a local author to me, and having grown up in Colorado, I admire how she incorporates landmarks that are so iconic to Denver. This book highlights a tragedy that occurred here, referred to as “the massacre.” Erika incorporated this historical event with paranormal themes in such a searing, yet delicate, way.
I am excited to share our interview with you, and I hope that it inspires you to pick up not only her book but to actively read works by Native authors.
SM: It has been a long time since I found a novel so enthralling that I read it in a single evening, and your novel “The Haunting of Room 904” did just that. Can you tell me what inspired you to write such a heartfelt yet heartbreaking and essential novel?
ETW: I’m so glad you found it so engaging! The plot in particular, was a bear for me with this one. As to inspiration, a lot of things were going on for me. I like to think I write for joy, primarily, but in many ways, the central themes in this novel revolve around grief and trauma. Historical trauma, regarding the massacre, and intense professional trauma-I feel that at a time in which Natives are gaining ground, there’s also a tremendous amount of violence and lateral violence when it comes to our work. I wish non-natives would check their sources, when it comes to what they’re seeing about us. I was also going through a difficult family trauma at the time, and I think that’s clear with the theme of differences and deep similarities between siblings and how that can affect one’s fundamental identity. However, I also wanted to write a novel about how ceremony can be contemporary and magical and can help us move forward in our lives.
Learning about the massacre made me so angry, first because of how horrific it was, and second because I had never heard of it before. What made you want to incorporate this specific history into your novel?
I grew up not far from where this massacre occurred (right outside of Denver)- so in many ways, it’s always on my mind. Additionally, I have a cousin whose ancestors lost relatives at that massacre. However, if folks want to read a novel that also addresses Sand Creek by someone who is Cheyenne/Arapahoe, they should read WANDERING STARS by Tommy Orange (available here in the Kendall Campus Library!). But it felt necessary to address, and in fact disrespectful not to address something that happened so close to where I grew up and affected someone I love so much.
Being from Colorado myself, I love how you incorporated such important landmarks and chose to highlight the Brown Palace in this novel. Is there a reason you chose this landmark as the focal point of your story?
In many ways, I chose it because it’s cool. And also because I grew up not far from the Brown Palace and have gone there for various reasons over the years. But mainly because it’s reputed to be haunted. Room 904 is supposed to be haunted by someone I very much based the character off of - a fascinating historical figure when it comes to the city of Denver-though I took much in terms of poetic license. It’s said that when there wasn’t a phone in the room, and the Brown was doing major renovations, they kept getting calls from that room. Additionally, it’s just a great Denver landmark.
By incorporating grief, trauma, and Native history that is so often ignored, your novel is an incredible tool for spreading awareness and increasing empathy. What do you hope that readers will take away from your novel?
I have to admit, I hope that people read works by Indigenous authors for more than education- for fun and joy and because the art of the thing is equal to the art of any book by any person. Because one can always read an essay about subject matter. And I don’t think I’m any different, for example, from a southern writer (of any ethnic background) who incorporates aspects of southern history into their work, which also has a deep history of grief and trauma. That said, though I very much enjoyed incorporating things like haunted mirrors, demons, and other ghostly stuff, of course Native history, specifically as relates to my ancestral line, and to Colorado, matters to me very much.
Books are Magic Interview and Discussion: Erika T. Wurth and The Haunting of Room 904
Erika T. Wurth’s novel WHITE HORSE is a New York Times editors pick, a Good Morning America buzz pick, and an Indie Next, Target book of the Month, and BOTM Pick. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow, has published in The Kenyon Review, Buzzfeed, and The Writer’s Chronicle, and is a narrative artist for the Meow Wolf Denver installation. She is an urban Native of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent. She lives in Denver with her partner, step-kids and two incredibly fluffy dogs.