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katherine_alexis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
el13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Writing was excellent. The story unfolded in a really captivating way. It is a bit twisted, mysterious, and dark, with magical realism, reflective of the land of Malay and the sociopolitical environments at the time. But, I think it was a bit too dark for me. It did leave me with a lot of questions still, but I think it did so intentionally, as it was a mystical story. Finally, and most importantly, the love story was NOT IT FOR ME DAWG. It felt so wrong. I definitely felt the way Ji Lin's mother did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Vomit, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Incest, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Misogyny
story_goblin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Honestly, I have no idea what to say about this book. It's so different! That's not a bad thing, it just makes it difficult to find words to talk about it. There's so much going on! There's no easy way to even describe the premise to someone? I think I should have read this instead of listening to it. It's beautifully read by the author, but it's so long and complicated that there were multiple times I wished I was reading a physical copy. But also, it really lingered in my mind. I found myself thinking about it multiple times throughout the day- just wondering about what would happen or what the characters would choose. The characters felt extremely real but also unlike anyone I happen to know.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Blood, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Miscarriage
autumn_alwaysreadingseason's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
1930s Malaysia. A doctor dies and his houseboy, Ren, is tasked with finding his severed finger and returning it to his grave within 49 days to make his body whole so his soul can rest. Meanwhile, Ji Lin, an apprentice dressmaker takes up a part-time job in a dance hall to pay off her mother's Mahjong debt in secret so her husband doesn't have another excuse to beat her.
Ren and Ji Lin's stories intertwine as they both become involved with stolen fingers, the myth of a man-eating tiger, and spirits.
It took me a little bit to get into this book as Ren and Ji Lin's stories start out separately. Ji Lin quickly ends up with a severed finger in a glass jar and the reader thinks it's probably the one that Ren is looking for, so we're just waiting for them to come together somehow. There's also the fact that Ren and his twin brother, and Ji Lin and her stepbrother are named after 4 of the 5 Confucian virtues; who's the fifth?
Everything comes together well and I loved the surreal, myth/folklore aspects of this book. There's also commentary about a woman's image--Ji Lin kept her dance hall job a secret because she would be looked down upon and seem less virtuous or "used"--and job prospects--Ji Lin does not want to be a dressmaker but her stepfather will not allow her to continue her schooling. There's a questionable relationship between Ji Lin and her stepbrother that takes up quite a bit of plot and was not as enjoyable as the other parts.
Ren and Ji Lin's stories intertwine as they both become involved with stolen fingers, the myth of a man-eating tiger, and spirits.
It took me a little bit to get into this book as Ren and Ji Lin's stories start out separately. Ji Lin quickly ends up with a severed finger in a glass jar and the reader thinks it's probably the one that Ren is looking for, so we're just waiting for them to come together somehow. There's also the fact that Ren and his twin brother, and Ji Lin and her stepbrother are named after 4 of the 5 Confucian virtues; who's the fifth?
Everything comes together well and I loved the surreal, myth/folklore aspects of this book. There's also commentary about a woman's image--Ji Lin kept her dance hall job a secret because she would be looked down upon and seem less virtuous or "used"--and job prospects--Ji Lin does not want to be a dressmaker but her stepfather will not allow her to continue her schooling. There's a questionable relationship between Ji Lin and her stepbrother that takes up quite a bit of plot and was not as enjoyable as the other parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Incest
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