Richard Derus's Reviews > The Ghost Bride
The Ghost Bride
by
by
I really enjoyed this strange, off-kilter magical realist tale of the role of women in traditional cultures: Necessary, but might as well be dead for all the respect they're paid. Until they're necessary. Then, once the problem is solved, status quo ante. Unless you're Li Lan....
Big plus for the gloriously weird Chinese afterlife painted by Choo's ghost bride, Li Lan. Her, well, matter-of-factness in the face of goins-on that'd make me feel I was insane was pitch-perfect and the sheer gonzo "right, this is what I'm doing and this is where we are so just deal with it suckas" prose...modulated madness...is heaven to read. All those traps of OTT verbiage that frequently sink books presenting "exotic" cultures to non-native audiences are simply ignored.
One thing I'm not too big on is the patness of the ending. The Big Reveal was curiously flat for me, lacking as it did a sense of organic development from Li Lan's adventures. But it's clearly not a deal breaker, look at those four shiny stars.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me a review copy.
Big plus for the gloriously weird Chinese afterlife painted by Choo's ghost bride, Li Lan. Her, well, matter-of-factness in the face of goins-on that'd make me feel I was insane was pitch-perfect and the sheer gonzo "right, this is what I'm doing and this is where we are so just deal with it suckas" prose...modulated madness...is heaven to read. All those traps of OTT verbiage that frequently sink books presenting "exotic" cultures to non-native audiences are simply ignored.
One thing I'm not too big on is the patness of the ending. The Big Reveal was curiously flat for me, lacking as it did a sense of organic development from Li Lan's adventures. But it's clearly not a deal breaker, look at those four shiny stars.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me a review copy.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
July 25, 2020
– Shelved
July 25, 2020
–
Finished Reading
May 23, 2023
– Shelved as:
gone
I still can't decide if I want to read this book or not. The reviews, like yours, say it's a good read, but with definite flaws. The plot sounds unique, and that is something that's not always easy to find.