From the first few pages of Yangsze Choo's novel The Night Tiger (#808), I wasn't sure where this book was going to take me, but I knew it was going to be quite a ride. Set in 1931 Malaya, it chiefly follows the stories of Ji Lin, a reluctant dance hall hostess, and Ren, an eleven year old house boy employed by a British doctor. How their stories eventually intersect is quite a tale.
It begins when two things happen; Ji Lin accidentally winds up lifting a severed finger in a glass vial from an obnoxious customer, and Dr. McFarlane implores Ren on his deathbed to find his missing finger and restore it to his grave before forty nine days go by. Otherwise, the doctor will be trapped on earth, unable to move on.
Romance, mysteries, were-tigers and an exotic setting; what more could a reader ask for in an intriguing story with all kinds of unexpected twists and turns? It's unlike anything I've ever read before and totally engrossing. Highly recommended, with a properly atmospheric cover illustration.
I can't wait to hear Ms. Choo speak at BookMania! in a few weeks, and in the meantime I will be putting her previous novel, The Ghost Bride in my urgent reading pile!
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