The Night Tiger

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Book: The Night Tiger

Author: Yangtze Choo

Genre: Historical Fiction

Language: English

“In Cantonese, two was a good number because it made a pair. Three was also good because it was a homophone for sang, or life. Four, of course, was bad because it sounded like death. Five was good again because it made a complete set, not just of the Confucian Virtues, but also for the elements of wood, fire, water, metal, and earth.”

In my quest to pick a book set in different parts of the world, The Night Tiger had piqued my attention as people were raving about it on social media.  

A 11-year-old Ren has 49 days to find his master's severed finger to reunite with his body. Otherwise his soul will roam in earth without peace.

Ji Linn's childhood dream was to study medicine, but being apprentice dressmaker was considered more suitable for girls in 1930 of Malaysia and of course getting married. She secretly works as a dance girl at night to help pay off her mother's mahjong debts. One night mischievously she happens to be in possession of the ghastly severed finger.

Soon many mysterious deaths follows and hushed rumor of man turning into tiger at night is behind these murders spreads like wildfire.

Beautifully woven story around Malaysian culture, their colonized past with a twist of Chinese numerology and folklore.