The Ghost Bride
by Yangsze Choo
I don’t remember how I found The Ghost Bride, but I was hooked by the first page and couldn’t put it down. I had to force myself to stop reading at the end of each day so I could extend my entertainment throughout the week; it was so immersive!
“One evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride...” starts the novel, immediately hooking readers in to find out what the title means and if the protagonist will accept. The offer consists of a large, serious ceremony, marrying her to a recently deceased son of a prominent family. When the heroine refuses, the ghost of the boy starts to visit her in her dreams, claiming to court her. But do the dreams have any consequences in reality, and is she the only one who knows about them? Why is her almost-mother-in-law acting so strangely, was her almost-fiancé murdered, and who can she trust to tell what’s happening?
Yangsze Choo’s lyrical style paints such a vivid picture in every scene, it’s easy to see everything playing out in your imagination (and it’s no wonder the novel quickly got picked up for a movie). Educating her readers on ancient Chinese customs and beliefs, the fascinating plot points take unexpected turns at every point. Since most of her readers will be immersed in a completely foreign world, relying on an unreliable dream world is a particularly effective tool; readers literally don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. It’s hard to believe this is Choo’s first novel, and I can’t wait to read her next.
The one slightly negative takeaway from the novel was the harsh criticism of characters with less than flawless appearances, which I wonder is part of the Chinese culture. When characters had pitted or oily skin, were overweight, or possessed small eyes, the narrative continually harped on those aspects, which surprised me. Other than that, I loved every sentence of this fast-paced, thrilling fantasy. My sister-in-law is Taiwanese, and I can’t wait to discuss this book with her (and perhaps buy her a copy) to get her take on the legends, traditions, and historical context.
“One evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride...” starts the novel, immediately hooking readers in to find out what the title means and if the protagonist will accept. The offer consists of a large, serious ceremony, marrying her to a recently deceased son of a prominent family. When the heroine refuses, the ghost of the boy starts to visit her in her dreams, claiming to court her. But do the dreams have any consequences in reality, and is she the only one who knows about them? Why is her almost-mother-in-law acting so strangely, was her almost-fiancé murdered, and who can she trust to tell what’s happening?
Yangsze Choo’s lyrical style paints such a vivid picture in every scene, it’s easy to see everything playing out in your imagination (and it’s no wonder the novel quickly got picked up for a movie). Educating her readers on ancient Chinese customs and beliefs, the fascinating plot points take unexpected turns at every point. Since most of her readers will be immersed in a completely foreign world, relying on an unreliable dream world is a particularly effective tool; readers literally don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. It’s hard to believe this is Choo’s first novel, and I can’t wait to read her next.
The one slightly negative takeaway from the novel was the harsh criticism of characters with less than flawless appearances, which I wonder is part of the Chinese culture. When characters had pitted or oily skin, were overweight, or possessed small eyes, the narrative continually harped on those aspects, which surprised me. Other than that, I loved every sentence of this fast-paced, thrilling fantasy. My sister-in-law is Taiwanese, and I can’t wait to discuss this book with her (and perhaps buy her a copy) to get her take on the legends, traditions, and historical context.