The setting is 1930's Colonial Malaysia, a world of servants and masters.There is a lot going on in this novel. Men who turn into tigers, age-old superstitions, modern idealism, sibling rivalry and forbidden love. 11 year-old, Ren, must fulfill his dead master's last request of finding his severed finger and bury it with his body. Ji Lin is a dance-hall girl who came upon the gruesome souvenir from one of her dance partner. How the finger finally gets to the grave is one of the plots in this complicated story. I found that I had to suspend my beliefs in order to get through this book. Basically, you just need to read the book and find out in the end what is really going on. The characters were well-developed and the plot was suspenseful. I would love to read the first novel of Yangsze Choo because I find the Chinese authors with all the superstitions fascinating. I would recommend this novel to those who love mystical realism.
This dark provacative story captivated me. Ren and Ji Lin search for their place in 1930s Malaya where class and sex define you and predict your future. There stories are interwoven, every other chapter is told from each of their points of view. There is a bit of Chinese/Malayan magic and myth so sometimes the truth is blurred. However, the folklore leads you to think that you know who the killer, but the ending is unexpected. It's also the story of secrets--secrets that we keep from our family and friends. Even those secrets that we keep from ourselves. There is an underlying love story. The ending is satisfying.
