I won’t soon forget Ren, Ji Lin, Shin and all the rest! A story of twisted fates and coming of age, of rich Malaysian history and superstition. As we first meet Ren and Ji Lin I found myself wanting to protect and nurture Ren. A young boy who is orphaned and riddled by dreams of the deceased and promises that must be kept. Ji Lin, a force to be reckoned with, pushing and challenging the boundaries of what a “good Malaysian girl” should be to her parents and elders around her. As folklore and mystery weaved it’s way into a beautiful coming of age story I found myself confused in the best of ways, who could all of these things point back to? Riding the highs and lows of heartbreak, fear and victory with them. What a wonderful concoction of history, folklore, mystery, thrill and emotion.

Mark down Yangsze Choo as officially being one of my favorite authors. It’s unfair how wonderful her sophomore novel, The Night Tiger, is—or it would be, if it weren’t so apparent how much time, care, and hard work Choo put into her story. While I’ll go on record to say that her first book, The Ghost Bride, is my favorite of the two, there’s no denying how much I enjoyed The Night Tiger. It’s a book that will stay with me. Her style in particular is that perfect blend of historical fiction and magical realism that I love to death but is so hard to find, so this is definitely going on my favorites shelf.

The novel follows three protagonists: Ren, an 11-year-old Chinese houseboy; Ji Lin, a young woman who dreams of pursuing medicine but must work as a dressmaker and moonlight as a dancehall girl, both because of her gender and to pay off her mother’s high-interest Mahjong debts; and William, an Englishman with a murky past. Their fates and those of other characters collide as Ren attempts to fulfill the final request of his late master: locate his severed finger and reunite it with his body before 49 days are up, or his master’s spirit will roam the earth as a night tiger, unable to rest forever.

With a backdrop of 1930s colonial Malaysia (known in the novel by its former name, Malaya), Choo weaves a lush tapestry, twining the paths of her characters together and drawing the reader further into the mystery behind the truth of what connects them all. Whether you’re reading a scene located in the living world or one of the train stops of the spirit world, you feel like you are there, standing right beside the characters as they experience the world around them, which for me is a true mark of someone who has mastered their craft.

My favorite characters were definitely Ren and Ji Lin, Ren for his fierce loyalty and his fortitude (and how sweet he is), and Ji Lin because of her drive and her determination to try and do the right thing with the circumstances given to her. Also, they were both interesting POVs to read from. I didn’t notice at first that Choo swapped between telling Ren’s POV in third-person present tense and Ji Lin’s in first-person past tense, but once I did, I realized the genius of it.

Using third person for Ren helped demonstrate how simplistic his views of the world are since he is a child, but Choo never made him overly simplistic. He just sounded like an 11-year-old with a limited understanding of the world, and his POV was always honest and direct. His feelings and thoughts were revealed to the reader as he had them. Using present tense also showed how focused Ren was on the present and the mission he sought to accomplish. The way he kept track of and counted down the 49 days contributed to the faint sense of urgency and fear of the future that Ren was experiencing. It also added to Yi’s fears, Ren’s dead twin brother, that Ren was going to one day forget him, since he is firmly in Ren’s past.

As for Ji Lin, being in first person with her allowed us to experience the world through her eyes, to experience her fears and struggles potently as a young woman in 1930s Malaysia whose greatest expected achievement is to get married. By being inside her head, readers keenly feel her indignation, desperation, and hopelessness as their own, but they also recognize how keenly she thinks and how much potential she has, if she were only allowed to explore it without reproach and judgment from her family and society. As for the past tense, Ji Lin is incredibly preoccupied with the past, whether it be her mother’s marriage to a stepfather Ji Lin hates, her long-standing childhood crush on Ming that’s doomed to go nowhere, and the distance she feels from her stepbrother Shin, who never really felt or acted like her family by marriage at all.

Our third protagonist, William, is deeply unlikable and unsympathetic as a person, but I believe that was Choo’s intention. The struggles with his character are shown less in the perspective and tense in which his story is told but rather by his own choices and despicable thoughts. He isn’t all bad, shown by how highly he regards Ren and recognizes his potential, but he certainly isn’t a good person, particularly to women. As an Englishman in a colonized country, he’s actually depicted as a sexual colonizer himself, avoiding fellow Englishwoman Lydia for her resemblance to his English wife and instead using and acting predatory towards Malaysian/Chinese women for their exoticism.

Through all the characters’ personal journeys is also their link to the five Confucian values: Ren, Yi, Zhi, Xin, and Li. Certain characters are meant to embody the meanings of these virtues, but part of the novel’s mystery lies in how they’re not and what is causing something to be off about all of them. Then, there are the murders that occur, seemingly by a tiger, but Ren fears it is his master, already becoming a night tiger because his missing finger has not been returned.

Every time I put this book down, I immediately wanted to come back to it because I wanted to learn how the mystery unfolded and gets resolved. Choo does an amazing job of giving readers sprinkles of knowledge here and there that reveal some truths but then add further questions. Even now that I know the ending, I’m still trying to piece everything together, and I find that incredibly satisfying. I don’t like mysteries with simple or obvious endings as much as I like ones that require you to think past the final page. I feel like it adds to the longevity of the novel itself but also applies more to real life, that sometimes knowing the truth doesn’t mean having all the answers in a clear-cut pattern.

The thing I didn’t expect to receive from The Night Tiger was a certain romance that played out. I won’t go into it too much because of spoilers, but I will go on record to say that, while some people may have problems with it, I personally do not because of the context of the story. Once I started reading it, it became very obvious what was happening and what was going to happen, so it wasn’t shocking to me when it did.

If anything, I felt bad for the two characters involved, about the mutual guilt they had for their feelings, how their circumstances weren’t their own choice and how their personal relationship lacked the societal taboo that was being placed upon them. (Yes, lacked. I know couples in real life who act more like that taboo than either character ever did.) So I’m rooting for them, hoping both of them will find their way, one that they’re both happy with. But I’m especially proud of one of them wanting to figure themselves out first and have the other be patient in the meantime; that shows real independence and growth of character.

Overall, The Night Tiger is a gorgeously-written, character-focused, and culturally-rich story. I can’t wait to own my own copy and for other people to read it—and of course, I can’t wait to see what other books Choo writes in the future. That reference to The Ghost Bride within this novel alone made me squeal with delight, so needless to say, wherever Choo goes, I will follow.

I have a passion for Asian fiction.....but this one did not hold my attention. Too many layers, too many jumps, hard to follow.

This book was a lyrical blend of history and superstition, with a compelling mystery story. I really REALLY enjoyed this!

Great for fans of historical fiction, this book sweeps across Asian culture and history as it follows the lives of two main characters and the central issue of a missing/found part of a finger. A tale I hoped would include more actual fantasy than it did, this book wasn't bad, just not what I expected or hoped for. The "fantasy" element was really just superstitious belief in the possibility of the dead coming back as a spirit-bound tiger if it cannot rest in whole body.

4.5 stars
Even better than The Ghost Bride, which was completely spellbinding. Choo blends mystical and real-world elements seamlessly. I was so captivated by these characters and their truly life-threatening predicaments that the book just flew by. I wouldn’t mind a sequel, as a matter of fact.

My only issue is that there is a lot going on in a relatively small space, and I’m not a fan of alternating viewpoints. It was done very well, though, in this instance.

An excellent read that would be a perfect book club selection or addition to the shelves of any world literature collection.

I was so thrilled to read this book by Yangsze Choo after reading her other book called "The Ghost Bride".
Today, I read "The NIght Tiger" and I could not put it down, and marathon-ed it in 12 hours!

From the first chapter until the end the story continues to get better and better. Each chapter revealing more of the story to be completed like a perfect puzzle at the end.

Already, reading first chapter the book grabbed me tight....
A dying man whispers something to a boy ......
"Remember"
The boy nods.
"Say it." The hoarse rasp is fading.
"When you are dead, I will find your missing finger," Ren replies in a clear, small voice.
"And?"
He hesitates. "And bury it in your grave"
"Good" The old man draws a rattling breath. "You must get it back before the forty-nine days of my soul are over".................

From that moment, I was not only intrigued by the story, but how wonderful it was written.
Yangsze Choo is one of these authors that transforms pages written into a magical story line, full of mystery, paranormal and spectacular journey.

I can't wait until her next book is in print and I was totally enchanted and honored to read this one! YOU WILL TOO!

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo follows an 11-year-old boy, Ren, and a young woman, Ji Lin, on their criss-crossing journeys in 1930s Malaysia. Ren is seeking to restore his master's finger to his body before the 49 days after his death has passed, so that his soul can rest in peace. Meanwhile, Ji Lin accidentally comes to possess a severed finger and enlists her stepbrother, Shin, to help return it to its owner.

This story weaves together many genres -- from historical fiction to more mythology-like. At times, some of the myths and legends that were central to the story were a bit confusing to me, as were the interweaving characters. I would feel frustrated at the slow pace of figuring things out, and at times thought I would stop reading, but the story was still intriguing enough that I couldn't stop reading until I found out how everything ended up.

Overall, I"m not sure this was the book for me, as there were parts that I just really didn't enjoy. But I did appreciate that it was a completely unique story about a culture and history that was completely foreign to me, and I felt it was well written.

I loved this novel! I adored the authors writing style, along with the mystery of the finger. Had we had gotten a larger discount from the publisher, this would have been one of our selections for our Once Upon a Book Club box. Sadly we couldn’t fit all the gifts within budget. But we will be recommending this book to our subscribers!

This was such a unique and fascinating read. I did not know what to expect going into this story and I think I would describe it best as a literary mystery. The book was interwoven with Chinese history and folklore while several killings took place around our cast of characters. As the story unfolded the I got more invested with the characters of Ji Lin and Ren while at the same time I could not put the book down because I was so interested in these killings and what was really going on!

I requested this book because it has a lot of buzz as an anticipated read for 2019. There were some interesting bits, I especially liked the portions dealing with Folklore and symbolism. But the narrative didn’t really come together as a great whole for me in the end.

I loved the first three quarters of this book - I particularly enjoyed the folklore and destiny elements and the experiences of characters in a liminal dream landscape at the border of life and death. I was a bit let down by the ending; I felt that there wasn't much wrapup of the fantastical elements at all.

Missing fingers, forbidden love, and prophetic dreams – these are the main elements of “The Night Tiger.” While I enjoyed the setting and some of the characters, the overall story was a little disappointing.

“The Night Tiger” takes place in 1930s Malaysia. Ren is an 11-year-old houseboy, and Ji Lin is an apprentice dressmaker/dance hall girl. Their lives intersect in interesting ways, some of which involve the fingers.
The book felt too much like a whodunnit/thriller for my liking. By the time some of the plot twists were revealed, I’d already figured them out. Also, I felt that the book left too many questions unanswered, including why some of the key characters in the book were so connected to each other. This was a fun read, but it fell short of what I was expecting.

Thanks to Net Galley and Flatiron Books for the ARC.

*An advanced reader ebook copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

As book lovers and avid readers we all search for that gem of a novel that makes our bookish heart pitter-patter with excitement. Sometimes we hit the mark, other times we strike out. Praise the book gods for Yangsze Choo’s mesmerizing new book The Night Tiger because I want to shout from the rooftops about this book.

Set in 1930s Malaysia, under British colonialism, The Night Tiger follows two main character Ji Lin and Ren.

Ren is an 11 year old Chinese houseboy sets out to fulfill his master’s dying wish for the boy to find his missing (amputated) finger and return it so that his soul can rest in peace. Following the local traditions, Ren has 49 days to find the finger and return it to his master’s grave.

Ji Lin is an ambitious and smart young woman but due to sexism and a controlling and abusive stepfather she’s apprenticed to a dressmaker rather than continuing her education. Meanwhile, after her daily work in a dress shop, Ji Lin takes a job as a dance hall girl under the alias “Louise” where men pay to dance with lovely women. Although she hides the fact that she works at a dance hall, she needs the money to help payoff her mother’s mahjong gambling debt. It’s during one of her dance sets that Ji Lin comes into possession of a mysterious and grisly object.

Ji Lin and Ren’s stories converge around unexplained deaths that locals claim to be the work of a were-tiger, or men that can turn into tigers. Add to this premonitions, ghosts, and fate and you have a blend of magical realism and mystery that will keep you hooked.

There’s so much more to the story than a quick description can truly describe, but for fear or revealing too much I’ll stop here.

I absolutely loved how Choo immersed the novel fully in Malay folk belief and tradition, which is an amalgam of the various cultures that inhabit it. I had never heard of the were-tiger belief that either men could turn into tigers or that some tigers have the ability to wear a human skin. Simultaneously feared and revered the were-tiger provided a fascinating premise for a book. Moreover, Choo weaves in other beliefs such as superstitions surrounding numbers like “4” as well as the five Confucian virtues that create the perfect man. Such rich details throughout the novel really made this novel so special and, well, magical. Choo’s incorporation of these elements never felt forced and instead allowed me to get lost in the magical realism of the novel.

Moreover, I felt like the characters were richly developed. Ren was endearing and the child innocence of his plot line added some much heart and depth to the story. While Ji Lin’s struggles to create her autonomy in a world and culture where respectable female jobs were limited as well as a budding forbidden romance connected with me a female reader. Though I live in a different time and place from Ji Lin I felt like I could connect with her coming-of-age story and her decisions about what was right for herself.

Subtle themes of gender, class, and colonialism add historical depth to the book while also providing reflections of our own society. The plot was well-paced and I devoured the nearly 400 page book in a span of about 5 days and that’s only because real life things like work and chores got in the way of my reading time.

I highly recommend this book!

This novel by Yangsze Choo was beautifully written and included so many things that make a fantastic story; mystery, history, magical realism and romance. There was also ancient Chinese folklore surrounding a tiger and restless spirits, which lead to significant superstition from the community members. The main plot is focused around a severed finger, Dr. McFarlane's, that must be reunited with his body within 49 days of his death so his soul is not cursed to roam and never find peace. This severed finger is exchanged between many hands and we follow it's journey as the other character's lives slowly intertwine.

The two main characters, Ji Lin and Ren were well developed and their personalities and emotions came out clearly through the pages. Ji Lin was strong-willed and determined to break societal norms by becoming a doctor in the 1930's where a woman's place was deemed at her husband's side. Although Ji Lin wants to become a doctor, she also finds herself struggling to be loyal to her family and their ideals, thus becoming a dressmaker's apprentice and veering slightly off course. She's feisty, but also swallows her pride on multiple occasions to make her family happy or at least not argumentative. With Ren, Choo explores the master-servant relationship in Colonial British Malaya. Ren also has a "cat-sense" that he uses to communicate with his dead twin, Yi, and potentially others connected to him in ways he has yet to decipher.

There are a few secondary characters whose plights truly add to the story and struggles of Ji Lin and Ren and their quests surrounding the severed finger. I really enjoyed the moments Ah Long opened up to Ren as well as the scenes with Ji Lin navigating different suitors or non-suitors.

The only thing I didn't like was that the ending felt very rushed. The rest of the novel was well-paced with a balance of action and historical background either surrounding the folklore or the character's lives as well as some romance. But the last 10-20 pages, everything is quickly wrapped up, not necessarily with a big fat bow, but enough that it almost had a fairy-tale ending which didn't seem to go with the rest of the story. I think I would have liked it a bit more if maybe there was more intrigue as to where these character's lives would go in the future. But overall, definitely something I'd recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is so beautifully written. Reading it transports you to another time. I highly recommend this book.

'If I’d been named something feminie and delicate like “Precious Jade” or “Fragrant Lily”, things might have turned out differently.'

Set in 1930’s colonial Malaysia, Yangsze Choo has written a novel rich in Maylayan folklore, superstition, tradition involving ghosts who interact with the living, a were-tiger on the prowl and intensely realistic dreams. The characters very names are steeped with meaning in the five Confucian Virtues, too. Houseboy Ren, 11 years old promises his dying master, Dr. MacFarlane that he will find his missing finger, long ago amputated, and bury with his body. The man’s soul cannot rest unless his body is intact, but there are only 49 soul days total for Ren to complete his mission.

Numbers are lucky or unlucky in Chinese culture, Ji Lin has just hit the 44 day mark in her shameful, secret, second job as a dance hall girl at the May Flower Dance Hall, advertised as “instructors” but covertly entertaining men. A job Ji Lin takes to honor her mother’s mahjong debts, hoping her cold stepfather never finds discovers. Working as an apprentice in a dress shop for her mother’s friend Mrs.Tham has been her salvation, yet could never earn Ji Lin enough money, not when most of her payment is made in learning the skill and covering her boarding cost (living in the dressing room). On that unlucky day, the 44th mark, a patron of the dance hall gifts her with a shriveled finger in a glass bottle only to turn up dead the next day! Is it a curse of some sort? His aunt certainly doesn’t want it back, despite claiming it was his ‘good luck charm’. If it’s so lucky, why does she seem horrified by the sight of it? Ji Lin must discover where it comes from, it’s true owner.

Upon one of her promised visit to her mother in Falim, she finds her stepbrother Shin home from the hospital in Batu where he has a scholarship studying medicine. Further education is closed to her, despite her keen intelligence, as much as marriage to Ming, whom she has loved for a long time. Her life is weighted by bad luck, it seems. Her mother, a beautiful fragile woman remarried after her father’s death to a tin ore dealer widower with a son. With ‘an eye for beauty‘ her mother was one of the few people that could turn the hard man’s eyes soft. Never much interested in Ji Lin, to his own son he is abusive and cruel, making the home anything but a warm, close one. Despite this, Ji Lin and Shin have a unique relationship. Ji Lin searches for the finger’s owner with Shin’s help, siblings who share the same birthday (though not blood related) passing themselves off now as a couple. Under this guise, Ji Lin will find herself tied to Ren as well. What about the boy in her strange dreams, who talks about his brother? In the village where Ren works under a new Master, William, people are turning up dead. All signs point to an animal, a leopard or a tiger until upon further investigation peculiarities are discovered upon the corpse of a woman (Ambika), the absence of blood despite puncture wounds. Is it a mythical creature killing the locals, or a murderer? Why? Deeming it a suspicious death doesn’t bode well for William who has his own secret ties to the woman. Once the investigator starts digging, as he will, they will discover William’s association to her. The locals are bound to fuel gossip, that it was a “Keramet” (sacred beast). William must maintain his composure. Ren is losing days he sorely needs to honor his old master’s dying request, working for William. Soon permitted a few days of leave to visit Dr. MacFarlane’s grave, he must use his time wisely and find the finger, which is nowhere near. The tiger, though, occupies his mind as much as William’s, terrified it could it be his old master’s tormented soul in animal form. Ren is a fascinating character in his own right, a twin with a special connection to his brother, there remains a bond that surpasses the limits of this world. With his brother Yi’s death that “beacon” is still shining, but will it guide him in his quest, dim as it’s become?

The characters connections grow stronger, at times dangerously so. There are an untold amount of secrets kept from strangers, family members and even from one’s own self. This novel tackles several subjects such as culture and class but Ji Lin’s desire to have a career, to further her education especially being a female that must fight for what for males are given naturally makes this novel far richer. There is love, but Ji Lin isn’t going to be a swooning character, she is the hero in so many interactions, to my way of thinking. There are admirable qualities in both she and her stepbrother Shin. Being a male he can find his way in the world far easier than Ji Lin, but he has been cowed and brutalized by his father for so long, it’s amazing he has the strength to succeed, that with such an example, he has tenderness inside and cares about Ji Lin’s safety and happiness. Family situations can be limiting, and when the story begins everything seems unlucky and impossible for Ji Lin, but she never gives up. She doesn’t fully undertand her own heart, but will explore love in the most unexpected places while on her journey.

Love, Magic Realism/Supernatural occurences, dreams, spirits, traditions, death, murder… I can’t imagine a reader out there that would be disappointed. There isn’t one moment in this novel that drags, engaging from the first page to the last. Yes, read it!

Publication Date: February 12, 2019

Flatiron Books

I am a sucker for any type of book with an Asian background, story or setting. They seem too far between each other but when I found this one I knew I had found a rare gem. This book has something for everyone so I cannot even put it in one category beyond amazing. This book is set in Malaya during the 1930's. Our stories intersect with 11 year old Ren and Ji Lin. There is so many layers of depth to this story that it would not do it justice to even try to describe it fully here. Between the use of superstition and mysticism this tale is woven to its peak. I felt myself being drawn into the world she had created and the lush storyline. Pull up a seat and take some time for yourself this new year for this book. You won't be disappointed.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Ji Lin always wanted to be a doctor, but as a girl in 1930s Malaysia, apprentice dressmaker is a more suitable occupation. When 11-year-old Ren’s master dies, he makes one last request of his Chinese houseboy: that Ren find his severed finger, lost years ago in an accident, and reunite it with his body.

This book has a little bit of everything for everyone. Asian culture historical fiction, magical realism, folklore, superstitions and a well written story. Must read.

4☆

a colonial / imperial historical fiction,I enjoyed the book immensely and would recommend it especially if you like a story that is different. I will reread this book many times in the future