Yangsze Choo - The Night Tiger

A sweeping historical novel about a dancehall girl and an orphan boy whose fates entangle over an old Chinese superstition about men who turn into tigers.
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.

Comment: I was given this book for Christmas but only now managed to start it. I admit I might not have thought about picking it on my own but it turned out to be a very engaging story.

In this historical fiction story, set in the 1930s in what is now Malasya, we follow two main characters as they go on about their lives until their fates intertwine. Ren is a little boy, who has been the aid/servant of a British doctor but when the old man dies he asks Ren to comply with the Asian belief of burying the dead with all their body parts. The old doctor had a finger amputated and he requests of Ren to find it and bury it with his body within the traditional 49 days.

At the same time, Ji Lin, a young woman who is dancing hidden from her family so she can help with her mothers' debts, ends up having the finger when a client of the dance room leaves it with her in what she thinks was an accident. Ji Lin decides to get rid of the finger but her life is quite confusing while she tries to keep her secrets and maintain an apparent simple routine for her family.

Everything becomes more complicated and mixed up when Ren is sent to work for another British doctor, who seems to be a good doctor but whose personal choices seem less reliable. How is it that all these people have a connection and what can it mean?

I know my description might sound a little confusing, especially because a lot of what happens is closely related to several Asian (Chinese and Malayan) beliefs and traditions since most characters are of that origin or nationality, and it can be hard to impart information without explaining several details. However, while the beginning felt a bit complicated for this, I was quickly captivated by the story and the feel of it. Things happen and some are definitely dramatic but the writing style was easy, in my POV, and that made for a fluid reading experience.

I suppose part of why this might feel a bit more bizarre at times is the use of so many traditions which might not be familiar to more western readers... such as the belief, in Chinese culture, that some numbers are lucky and others are not, that many decisions are taken with the notion of the five Confusion virtues in mind... but I think all that made for an even more interesting read. To me, the biggest issue was the whole Malasyan weretiger idea and could a man really turn into one...since this is not fantasy, some of these beliefs here and there made for a slightly boring tale.

What I liked the best was the sort of mystery underlining everything. Ren has his mission, Ji Lin has hers and even the doctor William, the new doctor to which Ren will work for, has his secrets and schemes. He seems to be the most complex of characters. We get to infer he hasn't always been a good person but he is a competent doctor and his professional side feels reliable. The problem is his behavior towards women and how he just can't seem to control his behavior regarding them and whatever consequences that might have. I didn't like him from a moral POV, but his scenes were often the most intriguing ones.

The mystery is directly related to a murdered woman, whose death at first seems linked to tigers in the area but later it is found she had been already dead when the tiger got to her. This might seem simple, but this situation, along with many other accidents or apparent random things happening to other secondary characters means someone is actively trying to silence people. The why this is so isn't that complex, I should say. In fact, the mystery isn't that hard to guess after a while but I didn't really care, because the journey until we got all the answers was very engrossing.

There are some whimsical elements, such as scenes which are dreams - and, therefore, obvious clues to what was going on - and other more "paranormal" details which are closely linked to the mythology and the belief system of those countries which can seem unnecessary but I think they added some richness to the plot. However, I was fonder of the most practical aspects such as how Ren went on in his investigation of where the doctor's finger was and how Ji Lin felt like helping while meeting so many other people who affected her decisions for what they shared/did.

I liked the psychological complexity of all characters, William is the most obvious but everyone had an interesting development and personality. It was easy to engage with them and to root for the ones with whom I established a connection or sympathized with. I think the author used too many things in the plot but the characters were quite fascinating and I wanted to know what else would happen and how they would react. Even knowing some things were predictable I was still curious to know more and that, I'd say, made for a very entertaining and interesting novel.

I was surprised by how interesting this book ended up being. I think some small things could have been more appealing, but overall I was very entertained.

Grade: 8/10