Steven Ramirez's Reviews > The Ghost Bride

Admittedly, I know little about Chinese history and folklore. But fairy tales are universal, and The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is infinitely magical. The story is set in the late 1800s in a British colonial town in Malaysia. Like many young women of the time, Li Lan’s only option is to get married. And usually, though the groom may not be the girl’s heartthrob, at least he’s human, right? But a ghost?

It would never occur to a Westerner to hitch themselves to a spirit, even if it meant financial security for life. Well, okay, maybe if you’re paying off a student loan… But Li Lan’s family is strapped, and the wealthy Lim family is in a position to get them out of their troubles—if only she agrees to pierce the veil in a creepy wedding ceremony.

The Ghost Bride is a heroic tale. And like other heroes’ journeys, the protagonist must change. Li Lan starts out as a relatively unassuming girl, especially when dealing with the Lim family. But there’s a feistiness in her that only manifests after she crosses into the ghost world. Her arduous journey through faux cities and houses is thrilling. And her rejection of the scheming groom, Lim Tian Ching, is vicariously satisfying—like watching a paper funeral offering burn.