The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Synopsis :

"One evening, my father asked me if 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, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. 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 Lim's 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.


This is what I say :

I read The Ghost Bride because I got to know of a Netflix 6 episode drama that is based on this title will be released this month.  I got to know of this in December last year so when I managed to get hold of an e-book, I spent the weekend the The Ghost Bride.

While it wasn't a great read, it wasn't a bad read either...in fact, it was quite entertaining.   The story line itself is not new for the Chinese culture but for those not from the same culture, the prospect of a marriage between the living and the dead is incomprehensible.  

There are the elements of ghost or spirit possessing a body (鬼上身). and also making of offerings to souls which is very much a Chinese belief of afterlife.

The Ghost Bride took elements of this culture and spin the tale of Li Lan and her ghostly suitor, her earthly suitor and her 'heavenly' suitor.  I certainly wish the focus would be more on the ghostly suitor as I find that more intriguing.  Her earthly suitor is rather boring whereas her 'heavenly' suitor is quite mysterious and more can be developed from that storyline too.  Perhaps a back story as nothing much is said as to why Er Lang is doing what he is doing.  Is it his 'job'?

I am looking forward to the Netflix drama.