by Yangsze Choo
Flatiron Books, 2019. 372 pages, Fiction
Have you ever been given a gift that you just didn’t want? Has that gift taken you down a path where were-tigers are rumored, a boy’s dead twin speaks to you in your dreams, you break into a hospital storage room to inspect specimen vials, and are forced to grapple with the uncomfortable fact that you may be in love with someone you shouldn’t be? NO? Well, you can vicariously experience all this and more by delving into the world of the The Night Tiger.
Two stories move toward each other when Ji Lin is given an unwelcome gift at her job as a dance hall girl, and Ren, a houseboy, searches for the missing body part of his now deceased former employer so it can be buried and allow the soul to rest in peace. Part mystery, part forbidden romance, and part folk tale, this book was an engaging and unexpected exploration of class dynamics and gender roles set in 1930’s Malaya (now Malaysia), which was at the time a British Colony. It would make a captivating and conversational choice for book clubs or a solid choice for anyone who loves a diverse, well told, multifaceted story.
RC
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