The Dark We Know BY Wen-yi Lee

The Haunting of Slater by debut author Wen-yi Lee is a lyrical and gripping young adult horror novel that blends supernatural mystery with deep emotional resonance. Isadora Chang, known as Isa, fled her repressive small town of Slater to escape both its suffocating atmosphere and her burgeoning realization of her bisexuality. The death of two childhood friends left the town feeling even more stifling, driving Isa to leave everything behind, including her last friend, Mason.

Years later, Isa returns to Slater after her abusive father’s death, intending to settle his estate. But Mason's shocking revelation that their friends were murdered by a malevolent force haunts the town changes everything. He pleads with Isa to help him confront this evil before it claims more victims.

As Isa experiences unsettling phenomena—strange songs on the wind and eerie, unremembered artwork in her sketchbook—she must confront the traumas of her past and the sinister force that feeds on the town’s anguish. Isa’s return forces her to face the shadows lurking in Slater’s valleys and the pain she thought she had left behind.

The Haunting of Slater is an evocative exploration of trauma, healing, and friendship. Wen-yi Lee crafts an intimate and chilling narrative, weaving together themes of supernatural terror and personal growth as Isa fights to reclaim her right to survive against the malevolent entity that once shaped her childhood.