The vexatious haunting of Lily Griffin by Paula Hayes. Illus. by Katy Jiang

The vexatious haunting of Lily Griffin is a set of 3 novels in one. The first story, Lily in the mirror, was a CBCA Notable book in 2017. This is followed by Lily in full bloom and Lily in a pickle - all of which star Lily Griffin in her own words as she commits her life and thoughts into her journal. These novels are full of a multitude of characters, most of whom go by their own name and nicknames given to them by other people which may also vary according to the person. This makes comprehension a little difficult and demands an intrepid and dedicated reader. Lily herself is a little, quirky wordsmith and her interpretations and perspectives don't always align with the reality of situations. This makes for hilarious reading but also demands much concentration and joining of the dots by the reader. These books are therefore recommended for skilled readers. 

Western Australian author, Paula Hayes loves to write in the genre of magical realism. Thus the 'Lily' books are set in two parallel worlds - the world of Lily's higgledly-piggledly family and school-life and the magical world of the 'Rosy room' in Lily's grandfather's house in which Lily conducts her paranormal investigations.

In the Rosy Room there are old papers, old trinkets, a singular old mirror and ghosts of past family members. In the back garden is a little house full of memorabilia and ghosts too. Lily, with her love for the dark and mysterious, is able to communicate with the other world and put a stop to the 'vexatious' hauntings. Meanwhile in the real world, Lily has to negotiate school and especially very vicious bullies.

Possibly the best book is the second one - Lily in full bloom because the narrative settles and the characters are allowed to grow. Hayes skilfully develops the character of Lily's troubled adolescent brother Linden from a stereotypical, flat, nuisance of an older sibling into a fully rounded, interesting, sensitive and authentic character. The incident with the bullies is raw, vicious and powerful, both in the rank and disturbing behaviour of the bullies, the clever and brave response of Lily's quirky little group of friends (all bully targets for different reasons) and the sudden and unexpected show of strength and loyalty from Linden which becomes a turning point for him as an individual and for his relationship with his odd little sister. 

Although Hayes deals with deep themes including adoption, dementia, death, grief and bullying, the reader views the action through the eyes of Lily; through her playful droll humour, her sometimes faulty conception of situations and motives and her genuine niceness and natural curiosity. This makes the everyday nastiness and the paranormal situations - some of which are macabre and distubing indeed...bearable.

For a very strange and unusual read, for a dabble into two parallel worlds - the world of real-life family and school and the paranormal world with both being populated with many warm and horrible and annoying characters, try The vexatious haunting of Lily Griffin.

 You may or may not like The vexatious haunting of Lily Griffin but it's worth a read because it demands a different headset from the reader - an openness to accepting a parallel world alongside the real and the ability to suspend normal and enter into the paranormal. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Family, Siblings, Dementia, Grief, Love, Adoption, Social anxiety, Bullying.

Wendy Jeffrey