Seventeen-year-old Li Lan lives in 1890s Malaya with her quietly-ruined father, who returns one evening with a proposition - the fabulously wealthy Lim family want Li Lan to marry their son. The only problem is, he's dead.
After a fateful visit to the Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also her desire for the Lims' handsome new heir. At night she is drawn into the Chinese afterlife - a world of ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, monstrous bureaucracy and vengeful spirits. Enlisting the help of mysterious Er Lang (a dragon turned clerk) Li Lan must uncover the secrets of the ghost world - before she becomes trapped there forever.
Drawing on traditional Malayan folklore and superstition,
The Ghost Bride is a haunting, exotic and romantic read perfect for fans of Empress Orchid and Memoirs Of A Geisha.
About the Author
Yangsze Choo is a fourth generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. Due to a childhood spent in various countries such as Germany and Japan, she can eavesdrop (badly) in several languages. After graduating from Harvard University, she worked as a management consultant before writing her first novel.
The Ghost Bride, set in colonial Malaya and the elaborate Chinese world of the afterlife, is about a peculiar historic custom called a spirit marriage. Yangsze lives in California with her husband, two children, and a potential rabbit. She loves to eat and read, and often does both at the same time.
BOOKTOPIA INTERVIEW: YANGSZE CHOO ANSWERS BOOKTOPIA'S TEN TERRIFYING QUESTIONS - CLICK HERE Industry Reviews
"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 "Choo's fascinating debut . . . rich in Chinese folklore, mores and the supernatural...intriguing and enlightening. A haunting debut."--Kirkus Reviews "Choo's remarkably strong and arresting first novel...is sure to garner much well-deserved attention."--Booklist "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 "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 "Delicate and thought-provoking . . . sure to be a hit with supernatural and historical fiction fans alike."--Library Journal "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 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" 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" Choo s remarkably strong and arresting first novel is sure to garner much well-deserved attention. --Booklist" Choo s fascinating debut . . . rich in Chinese folklore, mores and the supernatural intriguing and enlightening. A haunting debut. --Kirkus Reviews" 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" Delicate and thought-provoking . . . sure to be a hit with supernatural and historical fiction fans alike. --Library Journal" 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"
