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.
