We first meet 11-year-old Ren, a servant to a doctor. Before the doctor dies, he charges Ren with one request: to find his severed finger, missing from years ago, and place it with his deceased body. The doctor says there are only 49 days in which to accomplish this task, or else because his body is incomplete, and his soul will roam the earth forever.

Ji Lin is an apprentice dressmaker in 1930s Malaysia, who wants nothing more than to be a doctor, but she is forced to work secretly in a dance hall to pay her mother’s debts from Mahjong. When a dance hall partner leaves her a severed finger, Ji Lin is convinced it will bring bad luck on her family. She asks her stepbrother to help her find the owner of the finger.

The days are flying by, and a tiger is endangering the town. Around this time, Ji Lin and Ren’s paths cross, and I can say nothing more about that.

Overall, The Night Tiger is a divinely told story that reads like a realistic fairy tale. The suspense makes it a page-turner, and the history makes it so absorbing. I knew little of Maylasia’s colonial history, and I found it all fascinating. Also consuming was the Chinese folklore included and that suspenseful mystery again. The atmosphere in this book is most impactful, and I was completely lost in this story and its characters. I’ll definitely be reading The Ghost Bride by this author soon!

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

It took me quite a few pages to get into this book. Once I did I very much enjoyed the characters Ren and JiLin.
The blend of historical fiction, love story and ancient Chinese superstitions held my interest.

The integration of Chinese and Malayan folklore and tradition into this story are what make it truly special. A literary page-turner!

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo is a beautifully written work of historical fiction that I enjoyed reading it very much.

Ji Lin accidentally makes the find of a lifetime which puts events into place that become dangerous for some and deadly for others. Ren, a young boy, is on the hunt for what Ji Lin has found. It was his master’s dying wish to find it. After her accidental find, Ji Lin then desperately tries to set things right with the help of magical dreamscapes as well as friends and family she’s known for years and others that are revealed to her within a magical dreamscape.

The book has a beautifully written opening (below) that paints the setting so perfectly and is very well-written.

Kamunting, Malaya, May 1931
The old man is dying. Ren can see it in the shallow breaths, the sunken face, and the skin stretched
thinly over his cheekbones. Yet he wants the shutters open. Irritable, he beckons the boy over, and
Ren, his throat tight as though he’s swallowed a stone, throws open the second-story window.

Outside is a brilliant sea of green: the waving tops of jungle trees and a blue sky like a fever dream.
The tropical glare makes Ren flinch. He moves to shield his master with his shadow, but the old man
stops him with a gesture. Sunlight emphasizes the tremor of his hand with its ugly stump of a missing
finger. Ren remembers how just a few months ago that hand could still calm babies and suture
wounds.

This well-written work of historical fiction has a splash of romance and forbidden love, a soupcon of magic and folklore, a drizzle of death, murder and betrayal, and a ton of interesting and well-developed characters that you’ll wish the best for.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Not sure exactly what to think about this book... It gives me The Monkey's Paw meets Rainbirds vibes. I kind of enjoyed both of those books but they left me unsatisfied. This book I started out liking then its got predictable and I absolutely hate the ending. Even though I saw it coming it doesn't seem like a good idea (very toxic).

Once I got my bearings with this book I got sucked in pretty quickly. It was a little slow for me to get into since there are a few characters to get to know, but once you know them you feel invested in them. The idea of the finger grossed me out a first, but it, and the meaning of it, is an important part of the plot and of the culture the author was introducing us to, so I see why it was included. Several days after finishing this book I’m still thinking of the characters, about their futures, about the magical realism portion of the novel that I tend not to believe but nevertheless find myself wondering about. 4.5 stars for this one and highly recommended.

What’s more terrifying than a werewolf? Perhaps a man-eating weretiger! Yangzse Choo’s second novel, The Night Tiger, which came out last month, explores the Malaysian folklore surrounding harimau jadian—tigers who can take on the form of a man in order to get closer to their prey, almost the reverse of the werewolf myth. As in her first book, The Ghost Bride, Choo cleverly weaves together vivid depictions of Malaysia under British rule with a sense of magical realism that brings the region’s unique blend of cultures and beliefs to life.

The Night Tiger is a dual narrative, following the perspectives of two seemingly unconnected characters. Ren is a young Chinese houseboy charged with finding his former master’s severed finger and reuniting it with his body before his master becomes a restless ghost. Ji Lin is a young dressmaker moonlighting as a dancehall girl to pay her mother’s mahjong debts. When Ji Lin unexpectedly comes across a severed finger, she finds herself drawn into a tangled web of mysterious deaths, meddling ghosts, and black-market body parts.

One theme that runs through both The Night Tiger and The Ghost Bride is the relationship between dreams and death. In both books, the dead can communicate with the living through their dreams. In The Ghost Bride, the dead could control the setting of the dreams, constructing their surroundings to suit their wishes. In The Night Tiger, however, all of the dream conversations with the dead take place in a setting that resembles one of the local train stations. This choice reminded me of the King’s Cross Station scene in the seventh Harry Potter book, and the symbolic significance is much the same. The train station represents a sort of limbo between life and death, with one-way trains that will carry the soul toward a realm of more permanent death. Each of the characters face serious choices about whether to board a train or return to the land of the living, or in other cases, whether or not to stay at the station, waiting for their loved ones to join them in death.

An element that surprised me about the book was the way that a rather complex murder mystery is woven into the background of the plot. You’d think with bodies dropping left and right, that finding the culprit would be the central focus, but instead it serves as merely a high-tension backdrop to the main narratives about Ji Lin’s concerns for her future and Ren’s quest to find his master’s finger. Apart from moving the plot along, the murders also serve to reveal some deeply troubling flaws in the society in which Ren and Ji Lin live. One reason that the murders are never properly investigated is that the casual racism of the imperial authorities brush off the deaths of Malaysians as unimportant, while locals and foreigners alike give in to superstition and chalk the deaths up to mere unluckiness or supernatural intervention. In fact, Ji Lin and Ren uncover clues quite by accident most of the time, and at the end of the story, only the reader has all the answers about what really happened.

Whether you love mysteries, mythology, or deep social commentary, The Night Tiger has a little something for everyone. You can find it on sale now at your favorite retailer, or buy it online and support The Gothic Library in the process by clicking on the IndieBound affiliate link below. Once you’ve read it, be sure to some back and share your thoughts in the comments!

A lush, propulsive story that combines elements of historical fiction, magical realism, and a murder mystery. Malay and Chinese folklore, Confucian philosophy, weretigers, and colonialism all combine in steamy, humid 1930s Malaya for a read that I found hard to put down. I thought the characters were intriguing, but the plot relied too much on coincidence and dream communication. I was willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride, but this element of the plot does seem to be occasionally lazy, which is why I went with the three stars.

On the whole, it was nice to read historical fiction set in colonial-era Malaya that didn't try to over-exoticise the place or its people.

It's possible that because I read way too much Virginia Andrews growing up, I wasn't too disturbed by the forbidden love element that some others have found issue with. But I was put off by the male character's sexual aggressiveness. Despite that, I thought it was interesting how Choo depicted the struggle of a woman in love and in sexual thrall who still wanted to maintain her independence, and this love story aspect feels unresolved because of the relative youth of the characters. I do think that both would have some growing up to do, and I would like to see the handsome, sexually-confident straight man learn about how to love a woman without wanting to own her. I would enjoy reading a sequel featuring these characters, mainly because I'm rooting for the woman being able to put this man in his place but also because I found them unique and interesting enough to want to know where life takes them.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo is a dazzling tale that is part murder mystery, forbidden love and age-old superstition. The setting of 1930s colonial Malaysia is so vivid — you’ll feel transported back in time! This one is magical in every sense of the word.

When I first read the synopsis where the story revolves around a severed finger—I did pause at first. I’m not typically the biggest fan of fantasy type stories and I wasn’t sure where this one would fall. But from the first page on, I was hooked. This one combines the natural and supernatural intrigue and moves these themes in such a compelling and brilliant way. Don’t let the severed finger deter you!

We meet Ji Lin— she’s stuck as an apprentice dressmaker, moonlighting as a dancehall girl to help pay off her mother’s Mahjong debts. But when one of her dance partners accidentally leaves behind a gruesome souvenir, Ji Lin plunges into an adventure full of secrets and superstitions. Eleven-year-old houseboy Ren is also on a mission, racing to fulfill his former master’s dying wish: that Ren find the man’s finger, lost years ago in an accident and bury it with his body. Ren has 49 days to do so, or his master’s soul will wander the earth forever.

As the days tick relentlessly by, a series of unexplained deaths racks the district, along with whispers of men who turn into tigers. Ji Lin and Ren’s increasingly dangerous paths crisscross through lush plantations, hospital storage rooms and ghostly dreamscapes.

On one hand there is plenty of fascinating superstitions: mythical creatures, conversations with the dead and lucky numbers. But this balances with a push toward modernization with a focus on gender and class and the impact of colonialism. The ability to weave all theses ideas together in one story is so impressive and you won’t want to put this one down.

A beautifully-written story full of mystery and intrigue, this a must-read.

Yangsze Choo wrote an absolutely enthralling, well researched historical fictional novel that is set in the British colony of Malaya of the 1930s. The Night Tiger weaves magical realism throughout Ji Lin and Ren's journeys over an amputated finger. The characters, set, and plot come to life through Choo's delicate balance of real life interactions and dreamscapes.

3.5 Malaysian folklore, history, mystery, magical realism, things I enjoy in a book, and there were many parts of this book I enjoyed immensely. I enjoyed the characters, Ren, a young boy, former assistant to a master who has died. He is missing a finger, and Ren has 49 days to find it and return it to his master's grave. Without it his master's spirit will wander for eternity. Ji Lin is a young woman who is working in a dance hall for extra money to pay off her mother's debts. Her step father an abusive tyrant who treats cruelly her step brother Shin. These three characters are wonderfully and I felt realistically portrayed.

Themes of colonialism an abuse of power are the backdrop to this novel. Details about the Malaysian culture, myths and setting are wonderful and add greatly in drawing this reader into the heart of the story. This is something a little different, Confucius practices introduced , and is a practice I knew of little. Following these three characters, one knows their stories are going to converge, but not how and when. Oh, and of course there is the tiger, said to be on a ravage, but is there really a tiger?

My only qualm in a story I mostly enjoyed, was the love story. Felt it was unnecessary, and lowered the novel a notch in my estimation. Many other readers have not found this to be the case. Guess, it all depends on how you interpret what you are reading, as well as your expectations going into a story. Still, I liked it because it was different from others I have read, and for a look at a culture of which I knew little..

ARC from Netgalley.

Excellent historical fiction exploring Chinese mythology and folklore.

Ren, a houseboy, was a gift to British doctor. The doctor is dying and worried about his soul. Ren is tasked to find the doctors missing finger so that the doctor doesn't roam the earth in the afterlife. Ren's journey explores the ideas of superstition and culture.

I read quite a bit of Asian fiction and this was good. It creates the atmosphere and is creative storytelling.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Choo is a force to be reckoned with. Her dazzling second novel, The Night Tiger, crosses genres from historical fiction, to literary fiction, to mystery, to romance, to magical realism; it’s deeply absorbing and unlike anything else being published right now. My thanks go to Net Galley and Flatiron Books for the review copy. It’s hot off the presses; get yours before they sell out.

We have two protagonists, Ji Lin, whose widowed mother has married a tin ore dealer, and Ren, an eleven-year-old orphan that works as a houseboy. The story takes place in 1931 in Ipoh, Malaya, which was the name of Malaysia when it was still occupied, part of the British Empire. As the story commences, Ren’s master, Dr. McFarlane, has died of malaria, and his last words instructed Ren to go to Dr. William Acton, find McFarlane’s amputated finger and return it to McFarlane’s grave. He has 49 days, and the clock is ticking. Go.

So powerful is Choo’s storytelling voice that I was most of the way through the book before it occurred to me to wonder: who puts that kind of responsibility on a little kid, especially since the task involves traveling alone to a different town? But Ren loved his master, and he’s a loyal kiddo. Despite an offer by his former master’s housekeeper to take him in, he forges forward, determined to do as bidden.

Ji Lin has a different set of problems. She recently reached marriageable age, but the only man she’d have considered desirable is engaged to someone else. Her stepfather is looking for candidates so he can be rid of her, and Ji Lin doesn’t like the same men her stepfather prefers for her. And in 1931, there are very few respectable alternatives for women to support themselves. She might like to train as a teacher, but she needs money right this minute, before her stepdad finds out about her mother’s Mahjongg debt. That man beats her mother savagely over much smaller things, and this gambling debt is potentially ruinous. Ji Lin takes an apprenticeship with a dressmaker, but secretly makes a lot more money as a dance instructor, a risky job that can lead to assault, a ruined reputation, or both. One night on the dance floor, as she skillfully parries a handsy salesman trying to make a move on her, her hand brushes his pocket and a little glass tube rolls out. She pockets it so she can check it out later, and oh hey, there’s a finger in there!

Ji Lin’s stepbrother, Shin is an intern at the local hospital, and that place is seriously messed up: “There’s a secret, white and yeasty maggot, which threatens to undermine the neat and orderly life of the hospital.” Just for starters, what happened to all the amputated fingers that are supposed to be in the storeroom with the other medical specimens?

At the same time, an unusual number of deaths have occurred lately, and there’s concern that it’s a weretiger that’s behind them. A weretiger is like a werewolf in reverse: instead of originally being a human that changes to a monstrous sort of wolf when the moon is full, a weretiger actually is a tiger that can at times become human.

Choo is masterly at weaving a complex plot, developing characters, and using imagery and possibly allegory as well; the river is a symbol that has been around as long as literature. But her greatest contribution here is in the way she uses all these things to create suspense. Once the possibility of the weretiger is raised in more than a passing way, I find myself examining every secondary character—and some fairly important ones—whose whereabouts are unknown at about the same time a corpse is discovered with tiger tracks nearby. Could that person be a weretiger? Could this one? No. Well, maybe. We learn that a weretiger is distinguished by a limp or otherwise deformed back foot, and so then I am eyeing anybody with a hurt foot or a limp or a wheelchair.

There are a number of threads that weave in and out of the story: troubled dreams are shared by Ren and Ji Lin, who have never met, and Ren’s dead twin, Yin, speaks to him. Ren’s “cat sense” guides him away from trouble and toward the finger. I often struggle with magical realism, because I’ll be trying to solve the story’s main problem using real world information, but then someone will do something people cannot do, and I yelp with frustration. But Choo sells me on the notion that there’s a weretiger, because now I know that a dead twin that magically communicates here; who’s to say there can’t be a magical tiger monster that’s killing the local folk too? Somebody sure as heck keeps leaving tiger tracks, and I know it’s not me.

The author provides information about Chinese folklore, including the weretiger, in notes following the story, and about halfway through the book I read the author’s notes before finishing the story.

The only part of this book that I don’t like is the romance that pops up between Ji Lin and her stepbrother. Ew, ew! Why does Choo find this necessary? It doesn’t add interest so much as distraction. When their mother goes bonkers and tells them to stay the hell away from each other, I’m right there in her corner. You tell them, honey. Hit them again. You can borrow my umbrella. Let them have it! Sick little bastards. The author goes to pains to stress that they aren’t biologically related and that Shin’s father never legally adopted Ji Lin, but who the hell cares? The incest taboo has nothing to do with biology; it’s a social construct. We don’t screw the siblings we grow up with, period. This aspect of the story is just plain tasteless, and if I were her editor, I would cut it clean out of there, making Shin the fantastic brother that he had been when they were younger and nothing else.

That said, I nearly went for a five star rating anyway, because it is so gratifying to see a well written story about any part of Asia during the colonial period that is not written from the point of view of the colonists and whose main characters are native residents rather than the occupiers. By showing the ignorant, patronizing way that local Brits—many of whom are expatriates because they aren’t decent enough people to be accepted socially back home—Choo exposes the true nature of colonialism, and for this alone, I could stand up and cheer.

With the single caveat emphatically mentioned, I recommend this story to you.

The Night Tiger is the story five people who are named after the five Chinese virtues. Their lives while mostly separate are connected in ways they could never understand and it all comes to play of a preserved finger.

This was a beautifully written book. The characters were complicated and real. The setting wonderful but not glossed over. I will say this was a slow burn and disliked this book at first. But the fourth of the book I could not put it down. There was history, romance, intrigue, mythology and some fantasy aspects. Non of it was overtly there but just hints of the genres. I did enjoy this book and the cultural aspects that I normally do not know a lot about. I would recommend this book but it is not flashy. I could understand why some would not like this book. There is no life changing story line to this but that is not always necessary sometimes its good to just walk a path to see for no reason but enjoyment. There may not be this spectacular view at the end but the walk was the true enjoyment. This book may have made me slightly philosphical.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an ARC. This is an honest review.

I loved THE GHOST BRIDE and was waiting eagerly for Choo's next novel! THE NIGHT TIGER, like Choo's first book, is an epic, sweeping tale set in 1930's Malaya. Choo weaves together Chinese superstition and folklore in gorgeous, lush prose that sucks you right in and keeps you reading into the night hours. The characters and setting are so vivid, her plot masterful... From a severed finger to a dancehall girl in colonial Malaysia, with a helping of Chinese lore, it's incredibly unique and a thrilling, breathtaking read! I highly recommend it and cannot wait for it to hit bookshelves.

Expected publication tomorrow!

Book #2 "in the books" for the Booksparks Winter Reading Challenge! #WRC2019

The Night Tiger was.... interesting. I can't sit here and say that it worked for me because in all honesty, it didn't. This book had all the makings of a wonderful story. Rooted in magical realism, there was a mystical quality to the writing. There was a murder mystery. There was a love story. All the things that I would expect from a fantastic novel. But unfortunately, they didn't all mesh that well together for me. There was a lot of fuss over a severed finger that I just didn't understand or connect with. And the love story was a tad "icky."

That being said, there were some qualities that I could appreciate that are worth mentioning. I did like the overall writing style of Yangsze Choo, and although I didn't connect personally with the mystical elements, I could appreciate that the story was deeply rooted in folklore. In addition, I really enjoyed getting to know Ji Lin, the main character, and really connected to her as a character.

While this one didn't blow me away, I've seen plenty of reviews from others who absolutely LOVED this book, so it's definitely worth checking out if you like folk stories with a touch of fantasy.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Yangsze Choo, and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to review.-

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Told over 49 days, The Night Tiger weaves the stories of young houseboy Ren, dance hall girl Ji Lin, and the importance of a severed finger (yes, a finger) in a tube. Set against the backdrop of 1930s Malaysia, independence, ambition, obligation, and love propel the characters through a series of events that will ultimately change all of their lives.

Part folklore, part mystery, part love story, the intricate blend of genres and themes explored in The Night Tiger enticed me; however, the final product did not meet my expectations and ultimately disappointed me. The love story did not bother me as much as other reviewers, but I found the overall story to plod even though I loved both the setting and folklore of the culture.

Sadly, I can only describe this as "okay".

Wow! The Night Tiger is unlike anything I have read before. The Night Tiger takes you to a whole new world, and one that you won't want to leave at the end. I'm not usually a fantasy reader, but feel so fortunate to have into Choo's world.

The Night Tiger is a gorgeous historical fiction novel with a lovely cast of characters. I had a hard time putting this book down. The story is incredibly interesting and I just needed to know what happens next. While this book doesn’t feel like a mystery, there are some very intriguing mysteries tied into the story. Like what’s going to happen with the severed finger. I needed to know! This is advertised as a page-turner, and it did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed the Chinese folklore element of the story. If you want to know what a weretiger is, read this book. (Hint: it’s much more interesting than a werewolf.) While I loved this book as a whole, I think the cultural element was my favorite. It really made this book something special in my mind. The story itself is great, but the setting any folklore made it truly memorable.

The Night Tiger features a wonderful group of characters who I definitely found myself attached to fairly quickly. I just loved them, and wanted them all to come out unscathed. Which is one of the biggest reasons I flew through this book. You are going to want to keep reading, trust me.

I also particularly liked the writing. You all know how picky I am when it comes to writing (comes with the territory of having an MA in English). Choo’s writing is the kind I love to read. It fit the story well. It was well-written without trying too hard. I am a huge fan, and already have Yangszee Choo’s other novel, The Ghost Bride on my TBR.

This is a very satisfying piece of historical fiction, filled with intrigue, complicated interpersonal dynamics, and varied settings and plot points. I feel like there is a bit in this book for everyone—crime, romance, and magic. It's a great combination that always keeps you turning the page, to figure out what might happen next, and how it all relates in the grand scheme of things. I think Choo does a great job of balancing and interweaving all of these plot points to really integrate everything into the story. Nothing felt out of place or unnecessary. So, clearly, I really enjoyed reading this novel—it was just so fun and satisfying. However, I don't think it will stick with me for that long. There just isn't like.. a super meaningful takeaway, or complicated plot point, that will keep me thinking for awhile. And that isn't a bad thing! This novel is a fun read, and I really enjoyed it. Another great work by Choo after The Ghost Bride, which I also enjoyed!