For my next selection of the R.I.P. challenge, I read The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo.

This reading ended up as a serendipitous survey of literature based in Malaya (present day Malaysia). In the last two years, quite unplanned, I’ve read three works set in this country, all as different as they can be. The first novel I read is Old Filth by Jane Gardam about a cynical octogenarian barrister of British ancestry; the second was The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng about a judge born to Straits Chinese parents; the third, The Ghost Bride. If you’d like to do your own purposeful literary survey of this country weathering cultural shifts and power grabs, you may wish to do the books chronologically. In that case, start with The Ghost Bride, move onto Old Filth, and end with The Garden of Evening Mists.

First, take a moment to admire the stunningly beautiful cover of The Ghost Bride.

The Ghost Bride opens  in 1893 as Li Lan’s opium-obsessed father informs her of a proposal for her hand in marriage to the scion of a neighboring wealthy family. The catch? Li Lan despises the young man in question. Oh, and he’s dead. The proposal is controversial, even horrifying, but the decision is complicated by the dwindling fortunes of Li Lan’s family—again, a result of her father’s weakness and pride. Although Li Lan’s father leaves the decision to his daughter, the ghost himself lacks such liberality and begins to haunt Li Lan.

What follows is a hero’s journey in which Li Lan must navigate the Land of the Dead to confront the forces behind this proposal and solve the mystery of her suitor’s death. Along the way, Li Lan discovers her true nature and makes choices that surprise both her and the reader.

Author Choo skillfully weaves mythology into fiction. This is particularly true during Li Lan’s sojourn into the Land of the Dead as she encounters apparitions of every persuasion—hungry ghosts, puppet ghosts, family ghosts, demonic spirits, and that mysterious “other entity”. But I’m not going to tell you about him!

Additionally, the legend of (literally) star-crossed lovers symbolized by the orbs Altair and Vega plays out well in this novel. The myth is not unlike the European traditions Romeo and Juliet via Pyramus and Thisbe with families at cross purposes, an unwanted marriage proposal, and the lure of true love.

My one criticism is that the middle (oh, the dreaded baggy middle) is a bit repetitive. There’s a lot of darting and hiding and chasing and finding. Rinse and repeat. However, the last 100 pages are pure fun. As proof, I stayed up until 2 am to finish the book. I don’t do that lightly. So, yes, I recommend this book for lovers of ghost stories and people intrigued by ancient mythology.

If, after perusing The Ghost Bride, you’re interested in other ghost narratives that weave mythology into modern storytelling, I recommend Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan and The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman.