My favorite relationship was her dynamic with her Amah.
I liked Li Lan, the protagonist, but I wish there was more to her than what was written.
Of course, I wouldn’t have fallen so in love with this story without its key part-the characters. When the second part of the story dived deep into the Plains of the Dead, I felt all but scared, with a burgeoning curiosity leading the way. The plot was on-the-edge-of-your-seat level gripping, coming from someone who doesn’t typically enjoy horror movies. Choo’s story opened my eyes to how hell was viewed by people who practised a different religion, or believed in strong foundational morals for imparting to their children. Because I was brought up Christian, my only perception of hell was Biblical. While I read, Google and Wikipedia came in handy for getting my fill of context and knowledge. One thing I did not know much about, was the Ten Circles of Hell. Seeing Choo mention it reminded me of my family’s annual trip to Kota Bahru for the hours-long sweeping of the tombs and visits to the crematorium. As far as I know, I am familiar only with Qing Ming Jie, which falls during the March period. Next, the second thing that got me so intrigued was her exploration of traditional Chinese funeral rites. In fact, I do feel a little guilty now for not listening well to how my grandparents converse with my cousins, who are so much better at speaking our Hokkien dialect. All the way through reading, I felt very represented culturally and developed a brand new appreciation for dialect. I could see it all like those period drama series younger me watched on Channel 8, from the shophouses to the sprawling Peranakan mansions.Īgain with the language used in the book, the liberal use of local dialect (Choo included a variety of them) and mannerisms fascinated me. Choo’s writing was so illustrative! Her descriptions of the streets and people living during the 1890s era instantly came to life in my mind, reminding me of the time I studied Singapore and South-east Asia’s past in Secondary one and two. The setting appealed to my inner history geek. I have a grandmother who speaks frequent Hokkien, so this book was the closest thing to enjoying a warm bowl of chicken soup made with love by her. It felt like Choo saw right into my heart, because of the authentic Malaysian vocabulary and dialect used throughout the book. This was a spooky but spectacular read! You know the feeling of deliberately delaying finishing a book because it’s that good? Yeah, that was me with The Ghost Bride.Īs a Malaysian-turned-Singaporean, it is very heartening to see South-east Asian culture being thrown into the spotlight.
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