The Night Tiger: The Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

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I loved the part when Jin Li wanted to study medicine but when her parents stopped her because she's a girl I really had mixed emotions as this is an everyday problem in every society! And the parts of Jin Li working in different jobs only to cover her mother's gambling debts are so powerful and feminist, I enjoyed her as a character she is really strong and smart woman! So engrossing you could spend a day reading this lush historical novel without staring at your phone once… A sweeping novel with something for everyone ― and incredible writing.” ―Refinery29 Conversations with the dead: In an unique twist, there’s seemingly the ability to talk with the dead. Jin Lin dreams of a train station and she talks to a little boy, Yi, who tells her his twin, Ren, is still alive. Ren also has conservations with the dead and even William dreams of a fated lake where his fiancé died. What did you make of all of this? Do you believe the intention was that they were really talking with the dead? Did Yi save Jin Lin and Shin at the end?

But perhaps this is just as well. Any probing self-analysis might have resulted in a more plodding novel, one that wouldn’t have been half as entertaining. As it is, readers may not be moved by The Night Tiger. But they certainly will be grabbed. Starred Review. A work of incredible beauty...Astoundingly captivating and striking in its portrayal of love, betrayal, and death, The Night Tiger is a transcendent story of courage and connection. Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II. The dreaming aspect was fascinating as I've always been interested in the meaning of certain dreams and if they are some kind of message.Set in Malaysia during the 1930’s, the story alternates between Ren, an eleven -year old Chinese houseboy and Ji Lin, a young woman who has been forced to give up her goal of working in the medical profession. Ren is on a mission to find his late master’s finger so he can return it to his grave. Failure to do so within 49 days will prevent his master from resting in peace. Meanwhile, Ji Lin, is working as a dressmaker, while also secretly moonlighting as a dance hall girl to pay off her mother’s Mahjong debts, before her hardened stepfather finds out. I was a huge fan of Choo’s 2013 novel The Ghost Bride, so I was eagerly looking forward to her latest novel, The Night Tiger. This book has much in common with Ghost Bride - a lush Malaysian setting and a plot with an intriguing mix of Asian fantasy and historical fiction.

I loved the atmosphere of the book, the 'magical realism' mystery of it, the lush Asian environment, the historical character of the story, the dark and brooding story, loved it. It’s just a normal morning when Anna's husband announces that he's leaving her for her best friend and taking their two daughters with him.

Book Club Questions for The Night Tiger

It’s about life after death, love, siblings’ affection, abuse, feminism and awakening of women by discovering their own capabilities, murder, passion, class system, Malaysian and Chinese folklore with vivid characters and captivating storytelling. Alright, let’s talk about that romance! What did you think about the forbidden love of Jin Lin and Shin? When did you start to notice they both had feelings for each other? Do you think they will end up getting married one day? Why or why not? Smith, Teresa (4 May 2019). "Book Review: The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo". Theresa Smith Writes . Retrieved 5 May 2022. The Tyger" is a poem by visionary English poet William Blake, and is often said to be the most widely anthologized poem in the English language. It consists entirely of questions about the nature of God and creation, particularly whether the same God that created vulnerable beings like the lamb could also have made the fearsome tiger. The tiger becomes a symbol for one of religion's most difficult questions: why does God allow evil to exist? At the same time, however, the poem is an expression of marvel and wonder at the tiger and its fearsome power, and by extension the power of both nature and God. Chen, Kelsey (2 March 2019). " 'The Night Tiger': A Spectacular and Haunting Murder Mystery | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson . Retrieved 5 May 2022.

Then we have Ji Lin, a young woman apprenticed to a dressmaker, supplementing her meager income by working at a dance hall. After stealing a vial containing a finger from a lecherous salesman, she embarks on a journey to discover the story behind the finger.

Reader Reviews

Ren’s porous sense of reality (and Choo’s smart use of the present tense) gives his passages a propulsive vitality that grips the reader’s attention. Ren doesn’t know what is going to happen next, and neither does the reader. Conversely, Ji Lin relates her story in the past tense, but neither she nor the reader benefits from hindsight. Schultheis, Patricia (21 March 2019). "The Night Tiger: A Novel | Washington Independent Review of Books". Washington Independent Review of Books . Retrieved 5 May 2022. Yangsze Choo’s writing was totally alluring giving attention to detail and descriptive prose. It also had the best ending!!!! I felt so warm and wonderful after finishing it. The Night Tiger offers a stunning look at culture, history, and Chinese superstition. Told in two alternating perspectives, and set in 1931 Malaya (Malaysia), this is a story of loyalty and loneliness, death and distressed souls, and man-eating weretigers.