Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
“Choo's clear and charming style creates an alternate reality where the stakes are just as high as in the real world, combining grounded period storytelling with the supernatural.” Publishers Weekly
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“Captivating epic...[this] impressive first novel takes readers on one of the wildest rides since Alice fell down the rabbit hole.” San Jose Mercury News
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“Choo's remarkably strong and arresting first novel…is sure to garner much well-deserved attention.” Booklist
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“Choo's fascinating debut...rich in Chinese folklore, mores and the supernatural…intriguing and enlightening. A haunting debut.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Li Lan's odyssey keeps her on the brink of earthly demise and keeps the reader riveted to the page...” New York Journal of Books
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“Delicate and thought-provoking...sure to be a hit with supernatural and historical fiction fans alike.” Library Journal
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“Unlike any book I.ve ever experienced, with its meld of historical fiction coupled with a fascinating culture, murder mystery, the wandering of spirits of the dead and not-so-dead, romance, and adventures in the afterworld...one revelatory experience after another.” Bookreporter.com
Synopsis
Yangsze Choo's stunning debut, The Ghost Bride, is a startlingly original novel infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, and unexpected supernatural twists, reminiscent of Lisa See's Peony in Love and Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter.
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.
The Ghost Bride is a wondrous coming-of-age story and from a remarkable new voice in fiction.
Synopsis
Now a Netflix Mandarin original drama premiering January 2020
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.
The Ghost Bride is a wondrous coming-of-age story and from a remarkable new voice in fiction.
About the Author
Yangsze Choo is a fourth-generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Harvard, she worked as a management consultant and at a start-up before writing her first novel. She lives in California with her husband and their two children, and loves to eat and read (often at the same time).