The story begins when Ren, an orphaned houseboy charged by his dying master with finding the master’s severed finger, sets out on his quest. Set in 1931 Malaya, when Malaya (today’s Malaysia) was part of the British empire, The Night Tiger creates a world where wild beasts snatch victims in the night, numerology and homonyms impact key decisions, and dancehall girls adhere to a strict code of conduct while feigning interest in lonely men. To her credit, Choo manages to intertwine all these plots and subplots with themes of superstition, Confucianism, and the desire for personal fulfillment versus the tug of familial loyalty. Instead, what author Yangsze Choo has given readers is a darn good yarn replete with shape-shifting tigers, severed fingers, complex sibling bonds, an evil stepparent, vivid dreamscapes, thwarted love, a psychopathic serial killer, poison, and grave-robbing. The Night Tiger is a galloping good read that’s blessedly free of political polemics and post-colonial self-righteousness.
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