The Ghost Bride: A Novel

Yangsze Choo

Aug 2013 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

Now a Netflix Mandarin original drama!

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger, a Reese’s Book Club pick

Yangsze Choo’s stunning debut, The Ghost Bride, is a startlingly original novel infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, and unexpected supernatural twists.

Li Lan, the daughter of a respectable Chinese family in colonial Malaysia, hopes for a favorable marriage, but her father has lost his fortune, and she has few suitors. Instead, the wealthy Lim family urges her to become a “ghost bride” for their son, who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at what price?
 
Night after night, Li Lan is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, where she must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family.

Reminiscent of Lisa See’s Peony in Love and Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, The Ghost Bride is a wondrous coming-of-age story and from a remarkable new voice in fiction.

Ratings and reviews

This book has become one of my favorites and I've read it over and over again. It's like Spirited Away but based in long-ago Malaya. I wouldn't say it's a perfect read but it certainly an adventure I love to read over and over. The relationships are complicated and it's very nice to see Li Lan grow and change as she goes through her adventures. I honestly want more based around these characters and want to visit the world of paper again.

The flow of this novel was spectacular! The author clearly did their research in regards to the historical features of this novel. While most books are painstakingly obvious in regards to the outcomes of particular events, this book certainly kept you guessing for many aspects and was a worth-while page turner! I'm so delighted that it wasn't so heavily focused on the love interest aspects of the story and portrayed a young woman who had intellect and was not completely devoid of common sense, either. The only fault to this book would be that it was such an interesting read, that I hardly remembered to take a break and eat!!!!

3.5 stars. I rarely stay on a book if I can't connect to the main characters or find them frustrating. I did love the storyline, so I pushed on even when the characters were "weaker" than I expected. There is a lot of suspense, action, and drama, but ultimately, I am glad that the ending was befitting and gave me much relief when it came time.

About the author

Yangsze Choo is a fourth-generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. She lives in California with her husband and their two children, and loves to eat and read (often at the same time).