We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado delves into the psychological depths of assimilation, social horror, and identity, painting an eerie portrait of suburban life as seen through the eyes of Sol Reyes, a Black American butch struggling with her sense of self and security. Sol and her wife, Alice, move into Maneless Grove, a gated community where everything from the smiles of neighbors to the rules of the HOA exudes a “neighborly spirit” that feels increasingly sinister. They buy this home partly to escape Sol’s workplace strife—her white colleague’s jealous sabotage leaves her under investigation—and perhaps as a way for Sol to find stability after her difficult upbringing. Yet, as the strange occurrences mount and her wife Alice begins to change, Sol is left questioning whether their sanctuary is a trap, built as much to keep them in as to keep outsiders away.

Tirado’s introspective and poetic writing style echoes Sol’s isolation and discomfort, blending dark humor with passages that spark an ambient unease. There’s an ongoing tension between Sol’s social paranoia, fuelled by systemic racism and a history of being othered, and the creeping horror unfolding within her own home. As her wife becomes more deeply enmeshed in the HOA’s version of assimilation, Sol becomes more determined to uncover the ugly secrets hidden beneath the surface, facing everything from supernatural oddities—vanishing stairs and cryptic warnings buried in her yard—to her own sleepwalking escapades that dredge up haunting memories and unaddressed trauma. Sol’s skepticism and snark are her armor against both her invasive surroundings and the pressures to conform in a predominantly white community that expects her to fit in.

In tackling these themes, Tirado lays bare the invisible costs of “belonging” in spaces built for exclusion. Sol's fears of being judged, or even erased, in this suburban hellscape speak to the psychological toll of forced assimilation, amplified by Sol’s apprehensions around her racial and queer identity. The book highlights the pressures of conforming to white, middle-class ideals while sacrificing parts of oneself just to survive, using horror to examine the slow decay of one’s autonomy and the fragility of identity under social scrutiny.

However, despite its compelling premise, the story sometimes feels overburdened with various subplots that don't fully converge. The ending lacks a sense of closure, leaving certain threads hanging and undercutting the novel’s carefully constructed tension. Though richly layered, We Came to Welcome You might have benefited from a tighter focus to better unify its complex themes. Nonetheless, Tirado’s haunting, socially reflective debut earns a solid 3.5 stars, inviting readers to consider what parts of themselves they might sacrifice for the illusion of safety and acceptance.

📖 Recommended For: Readers who enjoy psychological horror with social commentary, those interested in exploring the impacts of assimilation on identity, fans of haunted suburban narratives with themes of systemic oppression, readers who appreciate introspective and darkly poetic prose.

🔑 Key Themes: Assimilation vs. Authenticity, Systemic Racism and Microaggressions, Identity and Belonging, Survival and Self-Preservation, The Haunting Nature of "Perfect" Suburbia.