I have read the Ghost Bride by the same author and for those who have read her book, you will definitely not be dissapointed by this one either. Being familiar with her affinity with spinning stories around the supernatural, she has beautifully weaved a story about were-tigers and severed fingers in The Night Tiger, not in a scary but inquisitive and sometimes informative way.
In 1930s colonial Malaya, a dissolute British doctor receives a surprise gift of an 11-year-old Chinese houseboy. Sent as a bequest from an old friend, young Ren has a secret mission: to find his dead master's severed finger, lost years ago in an accident. Ren has 49 days, or else his master's soul will roam the earth forever.
Ji Lin, an apprentice dressmaker, moonlights as a dancehall girl to pay her mother's debts. One night, Ji Lin's dance partner leaves her with a gruesome souvenir, that leads her on a dark trail.
As time runs out for Ren's mission, a series of unexplained deaths occur amid rumours of tigers who turn into men. In their journey to keep a promise and discover the truth, Ren and Ji Lin's paths will cross in ways they will never forget.
Throughout the storyline, you will learn about the Confucian Five Virtues, the legend of were-tigers, history of certain locations in Malaya's heydays and other snippets of information which you may find useful in your next conversation as a showstopper. Highly readable and a gleaming five stars on my reading list, I hope Yangsze Choo writes more books to snap up!
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