The Ghost Bride Indigo Ed

A stunning debut, set in colonial Malaysia with a smart, winning heroine, THE GHOST BRIDE is catnip for the reader’s group crowd, combining the detailed historical accuracy of a Lisa See novel with the playful literary fantasy of A Discovery of Witches.Though ruled by industrial-age British overlords, the Chinese of Malaysia continue to adhere to ancient customs and beliefs. Even in the declining port city of Malacca, a gateway welcoming diverse cultures from around the world, ghosts and superstitions abound. The daughter of a respectable merchant family that has lost its fortune, Li Lan has little chance to procure an advantageous marriage. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the Lim family, the city’s wealthiest and most powerful clan. They want her to become a “ghost bride” for the family’s son, Lim Tian Ching, who died under mysterious circumstances. A rare historic custom amongst Malaysian Chinese, a spirit marriage is used to placate a restless ghost. While such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home, it may the cost the young woman her soul. To save herself, Li Lan must plunge into a shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, navigating its hungry ghosts, haunted mansions, and not-quite-human guardians―including the mysterious Er Lang, a handsome guardian spirit.With Er Lang’s help, Li Lan will uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets, and the truth about her own family’s history. But will she be able to return to the world of the living? And will she be content with life in the human world again?Reminiscent of Lisa See’s Peony in Love and Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, vividly imaginative and told in luminous prose, The Ghost Bride is a gripping literary ghost novel infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, and fascinating supernatural twists. Brimming with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, it heralds the arrival of a masterful new talent.

Publishers Weekly

“Choo’s clear and charming style creates an alternate reality where the stakes are just as high as in the real world, combining grounded period storytelling with the supernatural.”

San Jose Mercury News

“Captivating epic . . . [this] impressive first novel takes readers on one of the wildest rides since Alice fell down the rabbit hole.”

Booklist

“Choo’s remarkably strong and arresting first novel…is sure to garner much well-deserved attention.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Choo’s fascinating debut . . . rich in Chinese folklore, mores and the supernatural…intriguing and enlightening. A haunting debut.”

New York Journal of Books

“Li Lan’s odyssey keeps her on the brink of earthly demise and keeps the reader riveted to the page . . .”

Library Journal

“Delicate and thought-provoking . . . sure to be a hit with supernatural and historical fiction fans alike.”

Bookreporter.com

“Unlike any book I’ve ever experienced, with its meld of historical fiction coupled with a fascinating culture, murder mystery, the wandering of spirits of the dead and not-so-dead, romance, and adventures in the afterworld . . . one revelatory experience after another.”

From the Back Cover

A startlingly original voice makes her literary debut with this wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twistsOne evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride. . . .Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, traditional ghost marriages are used to placate restless spirits. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lims' handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits, and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

About the Author

Yangsze Choo is a fourth-generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. She lives in California with her husband and their two children, and loves to eat and read (often at the same time).

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