Books, hockey, and a bucketful of snark

Magical Realism : The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo

There are plenty of books where I think to myself, why on earth does the author think this story can be extended into a trilogy? And then there are books where I'm thinking OMG, I hope s/he writes a sequel. 

The Ghost Bride falls into the 'please write the sequel' category. 

I liked Li Lan as a heroine, even though she did occasionally slip into TSTL behaviour. And in this book, that isn't a good idea as she finds herself in the spirit world desperately trying to return to her corporeal body before she becomes a 'hungry ghost'.  

The descriptions of the clothes, houses and lifestyle of Malaysia in the late 1800s are fascinating as are the insights into the religious beliefs and superstitions of the Chinese and Malayan cultures.  

It's a beautifully lyrical book. Languid and ethereal. But dangerous too. You wouldn't want to linger too long on the Plains of the Dead.