Title: The Night Tiger
Series: Standalone
Author’s Name: Yangsze Choo
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Count: 384 Pages
ISBN: 1250175453 (ISBN13: 9781250175458)
Author or Book Website: https://yschoo.com/
Link to Amazon purchase page: The Night Tiger
Link to Goodreads: The Night Tiger
Release Date: N/A
How I Got the Book: Review Copy
Summary of the Book:
A sweeping historical novel about a dancehall girl and an orphan boy whose fates entangle over an old Chinese superstition about men who turn into tigers.
When 11-year-old Ren’s master dies, he makes one last request of his Chinese houseboy: that Ren find his severed finger, lost years ago in an accident, and reunite it with his body. Ren has 49 days, or else his master’s soul will roam the earth, unable to rest in peace.
Ji Lin always wanted to be a doctor, but as a girl in 1930s Malaysia, apprentice dressmaker is a more suitable occupation. Secretly, though, Ji Lin also moonlights as a dancehall girl to help pay off her beloved mother’s Mahjong debts. One night, Ji Lin’s dance partner leaves her with a gruesome souvenir: a severed finger. Convinced the finger is bad luck, Ji Lin enlists the help of her erstwhile stepbrother to return it to its rightful owner.
As the 49 days tick down, and a prowling tiger wreaks havoc on the town, Ji Lin and Ren’s lives intertwine in ways they could never have imagined. Propulsive and lushly written, The Night Tiger explores colonialism and independence, ancient superstition and modern ambition, sibling rivalry and first love. Braided through with Chinese folklore and a tantalizing mystery, this novel is a page-turner of the highest order.
My Personal Review: I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This book made me feel a lot of different ways the story unfold before me. I had a lot of thoughts and ideas going into the book, but none of them compaired to what actually took place. This tale kept me on my toes and not a lot of stories have been doing that to me as of late. Most I have an idea and it is pretty close to how it turns out. The tiger twist is not something I thought about when I first picked up the book. The interwined story that Ji Lin and Ren go through to reach their final destination is beautifully done. It made me see this through their eyes.
My Rating of the Book: 4 1/2 Stars
From the Book Reviewer's Desk 