The Ghost Bride

I listened the the audiobook version of this book narrated by the author.

The Ghost Bride centers around a young girl named Li Lan. Now 17, she is offered the prospect of marriage to a recently deceased man. She is to be his “ghost bride”. She is both appauled by the idea and driven by a sense of duty to marry and support her aging father and Amah (nurse). As the story progresses, Li Lan suddenly finds herself in the spirit world. Navigating the realms of the dead, the reader gets a glimpse into Malaysian/chinese mythology, particularly the customs of their ghost festival.

Overall I enjoyed this story. It was filled with beautiful imagery and lesser known mythology. It's only recently that I learned of the ghost festival. The trip into the realm of the dead was itself rather fascinating. The author did a wonderful job of narration.

Yet, I can't give it 5 stars. While enjoyable, the pacing began to slow halfway through. We are also presented with a variety of characters and never really receive closure on them. It would be nice to have a sequel to wrap up what happens to everyone.

Still this was a refreshing tale that has sparked further interested in chinese/malaysian/asian mythology/folk tales.