The Night Tiger Book Summary

In 1930s Malaya, two unlikely souls converge as a young dressmaker, Ji Lin, and a recently orphaned boy, Ren, find their fates intertwined in a web of secrets and mysticism. Their paths are marked by the legend of a night tiger that prowls the jungle, seeking to reclaim a missing body part. As they navigate a world rich with superstitions and colonial tensions, Ji Lin uncovers hidden truths about her family and their past. Amidst the thrilling adventures, themes of love, loss, and the supernatural unfold, challenging the characters' beliefs and desires. 'The Night Tiger' invites readers into a strikingly vivid world, blending history with folklore and leaving them eager for more.

By Yangsze Choo

Published: 2020

""We are all made of stories, just as the stories are made of us, intertwined like the threads of a rich tapestry that reveal the soul of our pasts and the mysteries of our futures.""

Book Review of The Night Tiger

The Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A sumptuous garden maze of a novel that immerses readers in a complex, vanished world.” —Kirkus (starred review) An utterly transporting novel set in 1930s colonial Malaysia, perfect for fans of Isabel Allende and Min Jin Lee Quick-witted, ambitious Ji Lin is stuck as an apprentice dressmaker, moonlighting as a dancehall girl to help pay off her mother’s Mahjong debts. But when one of her dance partners accidentally leaves behind a gruesome souvenir, Ji Lin may finally get the adventure she has been longing for. Eleven-year-old houseboy Ren is also on a mission, racing to fulfill his former master’s dying wish: that Ren find the man’s finger, lost years ago in an accident, and bury it with his body. Ren has 49 days to do so, or his master’s soul will wander the earth forever. As the days tick relentlessly by, a series of unexplained deaths racks the district, along with whispers of men who turn into tigers. Ji Lin and Ren’s increasingly dangerous paths crisscross through lush plantations, hospital storage rooms, and ghostly dreamscapes. Yangsze Choo's The Night Tiger pulls us into a world of servants and masters, age-old superstition and modern idealism, sibling rivalry and forbidden love. But anchoring this dazzling, propulsive novel is the intimate coming-of-age of a child and a young woman, each searching for their place in a society that would rather they stay invisible. "A work of incredible beauty... Astoundingly captivating and striking... A transcendent story of courage and connection." —Booklist (starred review)

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"We are all made of stories, just as the stories are made of us, intertwined like the threads of a rich tapestry that reveal the soul of our pasts and the mysteries of our futures."

The Night Tiger

By Yangsze Choo