Book Review: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Book Review: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo


Li Lan is a young girl in postcolonial Malaya on the verge of becoming a woman, expecting marriage to an eligible young man. What she doesn't expect is to be wooed by a ghost, a young man from a prestigious family who has recently died and seeks her as his ghost bride in order to avenge his own death. Li Lan, however, has different desires, with her heart focused on the cousin of the dead man. When her hopes seem dashed because of financial obligations requiring she go through with the ghost marriage, Li Lan accidentally overdoses on opium, sending her into a half-life/half-death comatose state in which she travels the Valley of the Dead searching for answers to some of her most perplexing and curious ideas, unsure if she will be able to return to her body and her life.

The Ghost Bride is a wonderful tale that I am so glad found me after I read the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy as it filled in a lot of cultural knowledge gaps that the trilogy revealed to me. To be clear, The Ghost Bride is NOTHING like Crazy Rich Asians. Instead, the historical context of Li Lan's story of slippage between the world of the living and the world of the dead creates a rich backdrop to explore the intersections between faith, culture, the effects of colonialism, imagination, desire, and empowered choice. I found Li Lan to be a remarkably autonomous character despite her setting in which arranged marriages were more the norm. She is a spitfire who thinks and acts in ways to promote her own interests, while trying to protect those she loves.

I have to say that I read this on Audible and it was delightful to hear the author reading her own work. It's such a treat to know how the author meant to convey some ideas as I was able to hear it straight from her own mouth. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that historical fiction is my favorite genre. This book is remarkable and original. I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction and is interested in Malayan (Malaysian) history and culture.

Book Review: Tobit's Dog

Book Review:  Tobit's Dog by Michael Nicholas Richard

(blog post originally published on ltwrmama.blogspot.com; moved to wellbreadwoman.blogspot.com 1/18/2016)

Although I am familiar with writers such as Flannery O'Connor, whose work is infused with and informed by her Catholicism, but is not overtly Catholic, I was only moderately aware of a growing genre of writing for Catholic audiences by Catholic writers that is more overtly Catholic.  So, it has been an extremely happy opportunity to read and review Tobit's Dog by Michael Nicholas Richard for Ignatius Press.

Tobit's Dog parallels the biblical Book of Tobit, a book commonly excluded from non-Catholic Bibles as non-canonical. The Book of Tobit offers a parallel story of Sarah, a young woman whose fiancés each mysteriously die, labeling her a cursed woman, and Tobit's son Tobiah, who is sent to collect a debt owed to his father.  Catholics consider the Book of Tobit a precursor to the wisdom books, and support for the Church's teachings of the purity of marriage and the intercession of angels (809).

Set in the Jim-Crow south, Tobit's Dog chronicles the Messager family's experiences through the patriarch Tobit and his sole son Tobias as they attempt to seek justice for a brutally murdered boy from their community.  Okra, Tobit's rescued dog companion, accompanies both men as they do their parts in pursuing justice for Jamie.  Police corruption, domestic violence, homophobia, and racism provide the backdrop, which allows faith, hope, and love to ultimately transcend and lead to a modicum of justice for Jamie, but also for Tobias, Tobit, the deputy sheriff Del, and the mechanic Crafty.  

Things I Loved:

1.  Layering the ugliness in with the beauty of this world:  As Catholics, we know that the things of our earthly world are not ultimately worthwhile or lasting.  We know that our earthly world is neither fair, nor kind.  We know that justice often is skewed during our lifetimes. However, we also know that our God has given us beautiful, awe-inspiring moments in our lives. We know that the beautiful things are ways we can see God's presence.  We also know that the ugliness is evidence of man's sinfulness, our choices to turn our back on Him.  There are so many beautiful moments in this story and they are juxtaposed against a story of brutal degradation, and, like our real lives, these beautiful moments are invitations to see God's work in our lives not as a puppet-master, but as our loving Father providing a shoulder to lean on in the hard times.  Although we work hard to make our world better, we also must acknowledge that our world will never be perfect, and Richard's novel gets at the heart of this paradox.

2.  Unapologetically Catholic moments:  Discussions of the outward signs of our faith abound in this novel.  Holy water, incense, mass, Eucharist, burial of the dead, and angels are all integral components of the story. Emphasizing these outward signs is the understanding we Catholics have that we are imperfect in everything we do, but we persevere in our love for our God and, through Him, our love for our fellow man.  What I think is wonderful about this element is that these concepts are not fully explained in this text; it is not a teaching text after all but a novel.  However, if a non-Catholic reads this novel, he or she will become intrigued by the mention of these things, hopefully interested enough to ask questions and not rest in uninformed presumptions, to investigate further the beauty of our Catholic faith.  And, Catholics who read this novel will be reminded of the beautiful elements of our faith that we too often take for granted.

3.  Tobit's willingness to do the right thing:  From the beginning, when Tobit rescues Okra and his siblings from drowning, Tobit exhibits strength of character that is inspiring.  Tobit faces significant challenges--a crooked sheriff, blindness, persecution, and incarceration--and never opts for the easy way out.  Tobit's prayers remind us that God is not a wish granter, but we can rely on God to walk with us in our troubles.  This reminds me what I have always told my children:  the right thing to do is often the most difficult thing to do, and that is how you know it is the right thing to do.  Tobit's humanity shows through, too.  He is a man of faith, but he is also a man.  He wishes his blindness would go away; he wishes his son did not have to leave him; he wishes the white deputy sheriff had more backbone.  He doesn't doubt God's presence or justice; more correctly, he questions other men's actions.  Tobit's actions throughout the story are a constant reminder that "Thy will be done" even though he never once iterates that phrase.  

4.  Infusing of biblical narrative into contemporary fiction:  One of my favorite subgenres is novels that take on the stories of Biblical characters, especially lesser-known characters, and fill in their backstories or provide new perspectives on the events in their story.  Tobit's Dog reminds me of a class I took at CSUSM by Dr. Madeline Marshall (The Bible as Literature) for which I wrote a paper about the women "missing" in the narratives of the Bible. The women are mentioned, but we rarely hear directly from them, and I always want to know more about them.  Although Tobit's Dog does not attempt to retell the Biblical story of Tobit, Tobias, and Sarah, it does use those characters and elements of the Biblical story to create a new narrative infused with the model of the Book of Tobit.  Additionally, the nominal focus on Tobit’s dog (Okra) provides something for dog-loving America to connect with.  This all combines to create an interesting, engaging original narrative.

One Thing I Liked (a little) Less:

Not enough of the title character:  Okra is a wonderful character, but there is simply not enough of him in the story.  Perhaps it is my recent rereading of The Art of Racing in the Rain and my familiarity with Marley and Me that have led me to expect more from a dog in a story.  However, Okra is a great character, but his role is too limited.  I would have loved to see more of Okra as an agent of action, especially given that he is the title character, but perhaps that would be imposing an element of “untruth” that Richard did not want to play with.  True, there is an element of realism in Okra as he is, and there is a beautiful homage to Okra at the end when Tobias reminisces that Okra's eyes were always a reminder of his father's (Tobit's, but also God the heavenly father) presence.  I can’t help but feel that developing Okra's presence in the novel more throughout the text would have reinforced and enriched a beautiful message.

Tobit’s Dog is a moving look at how a man’s faith sustains him.  Tobit’s Dog reminds us that in an era of blatant racism, there are those who ignore the social customs and pursue decency in spite of the repercussions.  Tobit’s Dog also shows that a just man’s involvement is justified in helping to see that a young boy’s cruelly motivated murder.  Despite the sadness surrounding the story, there is an incredible light that emanates from the story, and this truly does imitate many of our own personal stories, making this novel a very good read.

Sources:

Richard, Michael Nicholas.  Tobit's Dog.  San Francisco:  Ignatius Press, 2014.  eBook.
Tobit.  New American Bible.  Revised Version.  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ed.  Harper Collins Publishers, 2012.  eBook. 

Book Review: The Leaves are Falling: A Novel

Book Review:  The Leaves Are Falling:  A Novel by Lucy Beckett

(blog post originally published on ltwrmama.blogspot.com; moved to wellbreadwoman.blogspot.com 1/18/2016)

I have read numerous novels and nonfiction works about World War II.  It is a fascinating period in world history and marks the end of the Modern movement in the arts.  It is simultaneously heartbreaking because of the the lows human beings sank to and awe-inspiring because of the selflessness and sacrifice of so many men, women, and children.  It is, in truth, one period of history with which I am fascinated, and I have devoured as many stories as I can—fictional and nonfictional—about humans confronted with some of the worst situations we can create in this era.  Yet, as much as I have read about World War II, I find I have always focused on the Allied forces vs. Germany, but there is so much more to this era. 

So, it was with appreciation, excitement, and a visceral cringe that I approached The Leaves Are Falling by Lucy Beckett, published by Ignatius Press.  And, it is with indebtedness, relief, and questions that I have finished this novel about the impact of the Poland-German-Russia-Lithuania component of World War II. 

Beckett writes the novel in two parts, with two prologues, to introduce the stories of two men of the Halpern family—the son’s first and the father’s second.  The stories these men, Polish Jews, recount is of the tenuous existence of not only European Jews, but of the country of Poland itself.  Linking the two seemingly separate stories is the bridge story of the temporally brief, but rich relationship between a writer and the son, Joseph Halpern.

Joseph’s story of being orphaned—truly his whole family is eradicated—is filled with neglected history.  In fact, his story often contradicts the story told by the victors about which country, ruler, or commander perpetrated which massacre.  Joseph seeks to set the story straight, to seek truth in historical accounts, so that his experiences and his family members’ deaths are validated.

The second half of the story is the story of Dr. Jacob Halpern’s imprisonment by the Russians, fictionalized by the unnamed writer at Joseph’s request, to provide for Joseph some idea of what his father endured and ultimately how he met his end at the hands of the Russians.  

Things I Love:

1.  Quest for Truth:  Both through the men’s stories and through Dr. Halpern’s conversations with fellow prisoners about faith, this story is concerned with Truth (capital “T”), with dignity, and with the reality that individuals matter.  This is really the cornerstone of the entire novel and I appreciate the rawness of this aspect of the story.

2.  Characterization:  Beckett creates unique voices for Joseph and the unnamed writer, as well as for Dr. Halpern, his interrogator, and the rabbi.  Joseph’s speech patterns in particular caused me to hear his voice as the narrator throughout more than half the novel.  Such rich and moving attention to detail through Beckett’s careful characterization is endearing.

3.  History:  I hear the echo Winston Churchill saying “History is written by the victors” throughout this novel.  The winners are ignored.  Those who are pawns in the bigger game are ignored.  There is so much history in this novel of which I was only in the most cursory way aware that has caused me to become so much more curious about the things I don’t know:  the ways history has been manipulated to represent the “truth” (small “t”) we come to know and the ways the victors attempt to minimize their parts in their less savory deeds.

4.  Values:  Joseph and Jacob Halpern are only two of Beckett’s characters who exhibit values their moms and grandmothers would be proud of.  Even in the face of outrageous events, they never resort to vengeance or hatred.  However, they are not the only ones to exhibit courage, selflessness, charity, and honor.

5.  Appreciation of Intellect:  Beckett emphasizes appreciating intellectual activities, especially difficult intellectual questions, that I find incredibly appealing.  She doesn’t back down from serious conversations and, especially with Jacob Halpern, tackles the existential dilemma of the Modern man:  the existence of God.  Beckett allows several characters to wrestle with their position in the universe and the science vs. religion binary people still wrestle with.  Observing the characters engaging in this struggle is beautiful and Beckett boldly captured this element of humanity.

6.  Language:  Beckett builds a beautiful interrogation of language—etiquette, bigotry, expectations—that I see echoed in how she uses language to create her characters.  This is especially true in Joseph’s half of the story.

7.  Nods to Russian authors and works:  Mention of The Brothers Karamazov and War and Peace and Anton Chekhov’s works thrilled me.  Many of these works I had read; some are still on my to-read list.  Now, I am reinvigorated to visit these works.

8.  Contemporary political tie-in:  The final conversation between the writer and Joseph stunned me for its contemporary references and insights.  Especially in light of the recent happenings between Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Iran, I am intrigued by how many of these conflicts have roots in unresolved issues stemming from World War II. 

Things I Like (a little) Less:

1.  Title Significance:  I felt I didn’t have a good grasp on the significance of the title until the last few pages, at which point it became clear to me.  The subtlety of the title’s significance causes the richness of the metaphor it creates to become lost.  I would appreciate a better building of the title’s significance throughout the text and I think there is plenty of room in which to do this through both Jacob’s and Joseph’s stories.

2.  Incompleteness of Joseph’s story:  Although we do find out more about Joseph’s story, I feel somewhat let down that we don’t learn more of Joseph’s story after his marriage.  This left me feeling incomplete, but perhaps that was intentional.

After having finished this novel, I find myself musing about the characters somewhat more than after finishing other novels.  I keep asking myself, “what if…” and “what about…,” questions which I cannot find answers for.  I keep wanting a happier ending for Jacob, and for Joseph, too.  However, Beckett gave Joseph the happiest of endings he thought he could possibly receive and, while it was a fictional truth, Joseph found Truth in the homage rising from the contemptuous situation Jacob was placed in. 

Although filled with a lot of traditionally historical dates and places, at the heart of the story—both men’s stories—is the quest for the truth, and it is this heart of the story that compels me to rank this book among my favorites in historical fiction dealing with World War II. 

 Source:

Beckett, Lucy.  The Falling of Leaves.  San Francisco:  Ignatius Press, 2014.  eBook.