Reviewed by nannah on
I loved Yangsze Choo’s other book, The Ghost Bride, so I was pretty excited to get into this one. And I did love it … until I got a feeling about where the main romance was headed. Unfortunately, I was right.
Content warnings:
- incest
- (I didn’t get this far, but other people have mentioned:) abuse, assault, unhealthy relationships
Representation:
- the main character, her family, and the other main character (Ren) are Chinese
In 1930s Malaysia, an old doctor asks his young Chinese houseboy to find his missing finger and bury it with him within 49 days of his death -- or his soul will roam the world as a man-eating tiger. Meanwhile, Ji Lin, a girl with a gift for numbers and who always wanted to be a doctor, has to give up her dreams because of her stepfather’s urging and her mother’s mahjong debt. She takes a part-time job as a dancer, which has her crossing paths with a Chinese salesman who accidentally leaves her with a very unlucky gift: a mummified, severed finger. Along with her stepbrother, Ji Lin tries to find who it belongs to.
As I mentioned earlier, I loved this book initially. The descriptions were lush, the characters all unique and lovable in their own, sometimes strange ways. But then I got hits of the developing romance. Eventually it got to the point where I had to look it up. I’m not one for incest, and yes, step siblings count as incest. It’s not about blood relation, but about family. Plus, I hear the stepbrother is incredibly possessive and abusive -- and nearly assaults Ji Lin. So no, I will not be reading on.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 1 October, 2021: Finished reading
- 1 October, 2021: Reviewed