Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Ghost Bride (Yangsze Choo)



Yangsze Choo's stunning debut The Ghost Bride is one of those rare novels that sticks with you long after you read it.  Filled with hypnotizing, melodic prose in its dream world, it even seemed to make MY dreams more vivid.

Li Lan is the daughter of a bankrupt Chinese man and unfortunately, does not have many prospects for marriage.  The extremely wealthy Lim family makes a bizarre proposal that she become the bride in death of their deceased son.  While very rare, this ghost marriage would give Li Lan power and wealth for as long as she lived, but at what price?  On top of all that, she has fallen in love with the Lim's new heir, Tian Bai.  When the deceased son begins to haunt her dreams, Li Lan will do anything to stop him and get back to Tian Bai, even if it means that her own soul is placed in peril. 

It is in this spirit world that the true magic of The Ghost Bride happens.  Choo has written such a fantastical book where humans intermingle with spirits both in this world and the next.  Here's hoping that Choo eventually writes a sequel to this beautiful piece.

MY RATING - 4