The Ghost Bride, by Yangsze Choo

[sophia_sol]

I am beginning to emerge from the post-surgery haze of exhaustion enough to...okay, not to actually read any entire novels (I am instead mainlining Great British Bake Off which doesn't require too much of my engagement), but to POST about books I read before? I think I can do that.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is a fascinating book which I mostly really liked! Set in 1890's colonial Malaysia amongst the Chinese population there, Li Lan is a young woman who has led a very circumscribed life, until it is proposed that she become a "ghost bride", the wife of a dead man.

It was a little slow at the start to capture my attention, and I think the ending isn't quite its best self in terms of accomplishing what it's trying to do, but the whole middle part of the book, where Li Lan is discovering what it's like to be a spirit, is great.

But here's what I don't like about the ending.

Of the three potential love interests, Li Lan's options are: the terrible guy she's promised to as a ghost bride, the nice guy she's been interested in for most of the book but realises at the end after all her experiences that he's not actually a good fit for the person she's become, and the arrogant dragon spirit who has been helping her. She ends up deciding on the dragon, Er Lang, even though it will be a more challenging life for her than the very normal life she would have had with Tian Bai.

But the thing is that I don't feel like the book put enough effort into actually showing the ways Li Lan had been changed by her experiences, that she's actually drawn by the kind of life with more excitement and uncertainty and broader horizons. I also don't feel like Tian Bai's inability to understand her was adequately set up.

And then, to make matters worse, I kind of strongly dislike Er Lang, her eventual choice! He's a condescending asshole! And like, his behaviour might be a bit justified by the fact that he's a dragon, but that doesn't actually make his characterisation succeed any better at making him feel like a viable love interest imo.

On the other hand there's lots of other great stuff in this book! And I could see what the ending was going for and appreciate the intent, I just wish it had stuck the landing a bit better.

Comments

[pauraque]

It's good to see you posting! Normal energy levels will return, but they take their sweet time about it. :)

[sophia_sol]

Thanks! Yeah, it's definitely....taking its sweet time. And doesn't seem to be entirely linear about it either. How long did it take you for your normal energy levels to resume?

[pauraque]

Well, it was a long time ago, but I would ballpark it at a couple of months? Surgery was at the end of August, and I did both NaNo and Yuletide that year with no issues, so my concentration was definitely back by November and I wasn't having to take breaks just from sitting up at my desk or anything. You're right about it being nonlinear, though. I had many rounds of "I'm feeling better! I will expend some energy on a basic activity!" followed by "I will now be resting for the rest of the week."

[sophia_sol]

Thanks for the response, this is helpful to know! I will try to be patient with myself for the next couple months.