The Ghost Bride

by Yangsze Choo

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Ghost Bride is a stunning cross-genre historical exploration of period colonialism, a murder mystery, a speculative jaunt through life and death and all woven with gorgeous Chinese folklore.

Now a Netflix 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062227331
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/05/2014
Series:	P.S.
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	108,104
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.86(d)

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).

Editorial 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

“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

From the Publisher

Choo’s remarkably strong and arresting first novel…is sure to garner much well-deserved attention.

Booklist

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

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

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

Author Yangsze Choo narrates her lovely historical novel, set in colonial Malaysia. The story’s protagonist, a young Chinese woman, is likable due in large part to Choo’s sympathetic characterization and portrayal. Her soft tone and gentle cadence resonate with the novel's ghostly aura as the main character is haunted in her dreams. Choo differentiates between the various characters by changes in pitch, most notably in the much older woman, Amah. Rich description, precision of detail, and a slight hint of a British accent establish the uniqueness of this coming-of-age novel. Those looking for a literary novel that is enhanced in the audio version will not be disappointed. M.R. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2013 - AudioFile

Author Yangsze Choo narrates her lovely historical novel, set in colonial Malaysia. The story’s protagonist, a young Chinese woman, is likable due in large part to Choo’s sympathetic characterization and portrayal. Her soft tone and gentle cadence resonate with the novel's ghostly aura as the main character is haunted in her dreams. Choo differentiates between the various characters by changes in pitch, most notably in the much older woman, Amah. Rich description, precision of detail, and a slight hint of a British accent establish the uniqueness of this coming-of-age novel. Those looking for a literary novel that is enhanced in the audio version will not be disappointed. M.R. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2013 - AudioFile