The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo 3.75/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2019), Audie Award Nominee for Literary Fiction & Classics (2020) Version française: Il n’y a pas de version française pour le moment, par contre étant donné que le livre a été publié assez récemment, il n’est pas impossible d'envisager une traduction dans les prochaines années. À suivre. Summary 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 thoughts Chinese mythology? Colonial Malaysia? A quest to find a missing finger? Sign me up! Upon seeing the description of this book, I just knew it was written for me. I had sky-high expectations going into this one for no other reason than that the subject matter was so fascinating for me. I cannot say that I was let down as the setting was everything I had hoped for, but, unfortunately, there was a big disappointment when it came to the romance. The strength of The Night Tiger definitely lies within Choo’s ability to transport us to 1930s Malaysia. This setting in itself is an absolutely fascinating period as the British are in total domination over the area. Malaysian, Chinese and British cultures have all meshed together to create a new universe where colonial doctors believe in weretigers and Malaysian girls dance the Lindy Hop. We have all seen photos of colonial mansions throughout the world, but Choo’s research allows us to vividly picture the life of the middle and lower native classes at the service of whites. Everything from available public transportation methods to a household’s interior design to the dancehall atmosphere has been meticulously investigated. Perhaps it is because I knew so little about this specific era in Malaysia, but The Night Tiger is one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read in terms of world-building. It really begs the question of why there are not more books featuring South East Asia! The second-best part of this book is undoubtedly the presence of Malay and Chinese mythologies. Again, this is something that I personally knew close to nothing about, but Choo explains complicated concepts succinctly. The way the author approaches and includes the notion of the five Chinese virtues was absolutely brilliant and innovative. The initial quest to find the missing finger within 49 days was also a creative way to include traditional mythology while also making sure the plot remains fast-paced.
After reading the first fifty pages, I was certain that this would be a five-star rating. However, as the story goes on, we get introduced to an unexpected romance between Ji Lin and her stepbrother, Shin. To me, their relationship was very reminiscent of a Korean drama (or K-drama). As a teen, I saw my fair share of K-dramas, and one thing most of them have in common is extreme toxic masculinity when it comes to relationships. The male protagonist plays hard to get and is mean towards the girl (not unlike the classic trope that “if a guy is mean to you, it means he likes you” – which is in itself problematic). Suddenly, when another guy comes into the picture, the male protagonist gets insanely possessive and frankly creepy. The main male character then makes a half-hearted declaration of love, then they end up together. This is exactly what happens in The Night Tiger. Choo did try to make Ji Lin stand up for herself, but she is still fundamentally at the mercy of her stepbrother’s feelings. This trope of mean-and-jealous-boys-that-act-like-that-because-they-don’t-know-how-else-to-express-feelings has two main issues. The first is that it locks up men into these traditional conceptions of the emotionless or angry persona. The second is that it sends the messages to girls that if a guy treats you badly, then it means he loves you. This can spiral rapidly into situations of abuse where male actions whether verbal or physical are seen as normal, or even are romanticized. I am absolutely certain that this was not the author's intent, but, to me, the whole relationship brought up so many red flags that I simply had to mention it. Except for Shin, the other characters were well-formed. As mentioned, Ji Lin is a lot more passive and self-abnegating. Ren, while he is also selfless, I found he had a stronger presence. Although he is only eleven, he had the intelligence and wisdom of an old man. Together, Ji Lin and Ren made for a moving duo that was perfectly complimented with the side characters, especially Yi, Ren’s twin. It is also always interesting to read about colonial players, particularly to see why they are here and what are their attitudes towards the local population. The figures of William Acton, the runaway doctor who enjoys local women, and Lydia, the philanthropist, brought up many issues related to the colonial presence which added a layer of complexity to the novel. Choo’s writing was wonderful when it came to the world-building. However, it was convoluted at times. Indeed, because of the complex plot that changes rapidly between dream sequences, locations across Malaya and flashbacks, it was sometimes hard to follow. In some ways, the storyline reminds me of the movie Inception since dreams play into reality and vice versa. Overall, The Night Tiger is a great novel if you are a lover of historical fiction. Unfortunately, the romance ruined the experience for me, but I still leave content as I close the book feeling like I have learned something about 1930s Malaya and Confucian thought. If you liked The Night Tiger, you will love… Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd Mãn by Kim Thúy
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