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A review by meghaha
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
4.0
I listened to The Ghost Bride on audiobook, narrated by author Yangsze Choo herself. She has a lovely voice --as nice as a professional audiobook narrator--and it was such a treat to hear the author reading it, because everything is said exactly as the creator intended.
The Ghost Bride was especially interesting for me, as it was set in 1890's colonial Malaysia -- a time and place I know little about-- and also drew from the mythology of the Chinese afterlife for its fantastical elements. I can't stress enough how fascinated by myths, folktales, and fairytales I am, and by extension, the novels that retell them or are inspired by them. It was a delightful broadening of the mind to read something based on Chinese myths rather than the Greek and Grimm tales I am so accustomed to.
Before reading this book, I knew nothing about the Chinese afterlife. The notion of ghost marriages -- between dead people, or extremely rarely, in this book's case, between the living and the dead -- was new. As were the ox-head demons; the hungry ghosts; the stages in the underworld (involving judgement and retribution for past misdeeds); and the final reincarnation into animal or human after drinking a potion/tea that makes you forget your past life.
I know about the Greek underworld, and the Christian hell, but this was all new for me. My mom grew up in communist China and later converted to Christianity, so perhaps that accounts for why I wasn't told about any of this. When I asked her about the afterworld and ghost brides after reading this book, she knew exactly what I was talking about, though. I regret that it's a bit late now to learn about these beliefs. Just as it's too late to speak Mandarin as a native language, no matter how much I study. Even if I read or learn about these myths, they won't be a part of me just like Mandarin isn't. Some things -- language and stories -- need to be internalized as a child. Ah well. Enough about me, and back to the The Ghost Bride:
I feel like another big reason why I enjoyed this book was that I was getting really strong Spirited Away vibes once Li Lan goes to the underworld and meets Er Lang. Anything that reminds me of Spirited Away is delightful to me.
This is historical fantasy, but the historical element was strictly adhered to, at least in relation to main character Li Lan. She, like any upper class Chinese woman of that era, was never allowed to leave the house on her own, and is extremely naive for this reason. I think Choo navigates the restrictions on Li Lan's character well so that we as modern readers can understand her limitations and way of thinking rather than feel irritated by them.
I think this book also really hammered home for me how in the past, your entire future as a woman hinged on your marriage. It's something you had to agonize over, and it's analogous to how we nowadays might feel agonized over choice of career. In the modern world there are many paths to forge a happy life, but unrequited love or a bad marriage match was motivation enough to believe your whole life was ruined in the past. Romance, necessarily, in historical settings, has higher stakes, and it's something you could die over, whereas it'd seem melodramatic to me in modern times.
Choo is writing another book (it seems she mentioned something about 1930's Malaysia) and I will definitely be reading it.
The Ghost Bride was especially interesting for me, as it was set in 1890's colonial Malaysia -- a time and place I know little about-- and also drew from the mythology of the Chinese afterlife for its fantastical elements. I can't stress enough how fascinated by myths, folktales, and fairytales I am, and by extension, the novels that retell them or are inspired by them. It was a delightful broadening of the mind to read something based on Chinese myths rather than the Greek and Grimm tales I am so accustomed to.
Before reading this book, I knew nothing about the Chinese afterlife. The notion of ghost marriages -- between dead people, or extremely rarely, in this book's case, between the living and the dead -- was new. As were the ox-head demons; the hungry ghosts; the stages in the underworld (involving judgement and retribution for past misdeeds); and the final reincarnation into animal or human after drinking a potion/tea that makes you forget your past life.
I know about the Greek underworld, and the Christian hell, but this was all new for me. My mom grew up in communist China and later converted to Christianity, so perhaps that accounts for why I wasn't told about any of this. When I asked her about the afterworld and ghost brides after reading this book, she knew exactly what I was talking about, though. I regret that it's a bit late now to learn about these beliefs. Just as it's too late to speak Mandarin as a native language, no matter how much I study. Even if I read or learn about these myths, they won't be a part of me just like Mandarin isn't. Some things -- language and stories -- need to be internalized as a child. Ah well. Enough about me, and back to the The Ghost Bride:
I feel like another big reason why I enjoyed this book was that I was getting really strong Spirited Away vibes once Li Lan goes to the underworld and meets Er Lang. Anything that reminds me of Spirited Away is delightful to me.
This is historical fantasy, but the historical element was strictly adhered to, at least in relation to main character Li Lan. She, like any upper class Chinese woman of that era, was never allowed to leave the house on her own, and is extremely naive for this reason. I think Choo navigates the restrictions on Li Lan's character well so that we as modern readers can understand her limitations and way of thinking rather than feel irritated by them.
I think this book also really hammered home for me how in the past, your entire future as a woman hinged on your marriage. It's something you had to agonize over, and it's analogous to how we nowadays might feel agonized over choice of career. In the modern world there are many paths to forge a happy life, but unrequited love or a bad marriage match was motivation enough to believe your whole life was ruined in the past. Romance, necessarily, in historical settings, has higher stakes, and it's something you could die over, whereas it'd seem melodramatic to me in modern times.
Choo is writing another book (it seems she mentioned something about 1930's Malaysia) and I will definitely be reading it.