Cover of The Ghost Bride

The Ghost Bride

  • 2013 first published
  • 362 pages
  • ★ 4.2 (5 ratings)

Yangsze Choo's The Ghost Bride (2013) is a ghost story and historical fiction novel. The story is set in Malaysia, in the 19th century. It deals with future life, young women, marriage and Amerikanisches Englisch.

Open Library readers give it an average of 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, and 24 more have it on their want-to-read list.

At about 362 pages, most readers finish it in 6–7 hours.

About The Ghost Bride

"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride ..." Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound. Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price. After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy--including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets--and the truth about her own family--before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.
Description from Open Library

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

  • Malaysia

Era

Subjects

  • Malaysian fiction, Chinese
  • Future life
  • Young women
  • Marriage
  • Amerikanisches Englisch
  • Chinese
  • Malaysia
  • Ghost
  • Cultural heritage
  • Coming of age
  • Historical
  • Chinese fiction

Quick answers

Who wrote The Ghost Bride?

The Ghost Bride was written by Yangsze Choo and first published in 2013.

What genre is The Ghost Bride?

It is usually shelved as Ghost Stories and Historical Fiction.

How long is The Ghost Bride?

The median edition has 362 pages, about 6–7 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to The Ghost Bride?

Readers who like it often enjoy A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain and Dracula.

More by Yangsze Choo

All books →

Books like The Ghost Bride