Book Chatter

The Night Tiger
By Yangsze Choo
Flatiron Books, 9781250175465, January 2020, 384pp.

The Short of It:

There is an awful lot going on in this story and honestly it was rather exhausting to read.

The Rest of It:

Ji Lin is an apprentice dressmaker. It’s an honest living but doesn’t pay enough to help pay her mother’s Mahjong debt so she takes a job working in a dance hall. These places have poor reputations so she spends much of her time hiding this job from her family and friends. One night, as she is dancing with a rather mysterious man, a glass vial falls out of his pocket. Thinking it might be valuable, Ji Lin quickly tucks it away, desperately hoping she isn’t accused of being a pickpocket.

Inside the vial is a shriveled up finger, preserved in salt. What does it mean? It is used for magic? Has it been cursed? Where did it come originally? This finger lures her down an adventurous path in search of its meaning.

When I said earlier that this book had a lot going on, man, I wasn’t kidding. Ji Lin has to deal with her mother’s constant inquiries about male suitors, her abusive step-father who takes his anger out on everyone, including Ji Lin’s mother and her step-brother, Shin. Ji Lin would love to be a nurse and yet she spends her days fighting off men who want to do more than dance with her.

With all this going on, there is also a houseboy who sees death, people going missing, a rogue tiger is said to be the cause, and doctors going back and forth about missing body parts and people dropping dead from poisoning.

My main issue with this story is that it jumped all over the place. I didn’t get to spend time with any one character for long and overall the story was fantastical and not believable. The other issue I had is the one thing that WAS carried throughout the story, the attraction between Shin and Ji Lin, step-siblings. Not related by blood but still. I could not get past the cringe factor.

This is a book club pick and I know many readers who found this book quite entertaining. I, however, did not. It was just okay for me. If the story had focused on one main character and really delved into his or her story, I’d be more invested but with all the running around and fantastical elements (ghost tiger) I was over it.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Sunday Matters

The title of this post is a well-known fact about me but I’ve never loved books more than I do right now, at this moment. I have been picking up the best reads lately. Not all of them are perfect but they take me through my day and leave me with questions when I finally decide to crawl into bed. A busy mind, one that is not crowded by anxiety and stress is good for the soul.

Right Now:

Happy Valentine’s Day! We do not have anything planned except for picking up some takeout and at this writing, we haven’t figured out what to get yet. I love Indian food and it’s often a friendly vegetarian choice. The Hub likes a good curry but he’s not much into the other dishes.

Sparkle Heart

Later, my youth group will meet on Zoom. Not sure if anyone will show because it’s Valentine’s Day after all.

This Week:

Tomorrow is a holiday for my daughter. No school for her but my campus is still open so I am working from home. She has an audition with Missouri State though and then on Friday and Saturday, auditions for the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Northern Colorado. That should be the end of her audition season unless another walk-in opportunity comes up.

At the end of this week, she has a master class that I can’t really talk about at the moment, but I’ll be able to soon!

Reading:

Oh my word. I finished Anxious People in one day. A lot of you included it in your Best Of lists for 2020 and I can totally see why. What an odd little book. I bawled. I teared-up in many places. The review should post on 2/22.

I think The Midnight Library is my next read. I have the new Murakami but that one doesn’t come out until April so I want to read it a little closer to its publication date.

Watching:

Schitt’s Creek. Still. Almost done with Season 3. I am enjoying it way too much.

Grateful for:

My son applied to grad programs as you know. So far, he has gotten into the University of Oregon, Claremont and Seattle. This has bolstered his confidence immensely.
My daughter has gotten into some good schools so far but she isn’t done with the process so we wait.
I have an old high school friend who just entered hospice. He is completely lucid and he is spending every minute of every day appreciating everything he has. It’s heartbreaking to read but he has found some peace taking this grateful approach. If you are the praying type, please pray for him. Everything seems to hold a little more value these days because of his posts.

I am so happy to hear that many of you have gotten your vaccines. I’m not sure what tier I will end up in but whatever tier that is, it’s not a priority one. I am guessing it will be fall before I get it.

Take care of yourselves!

Chatting with friends about books and life…