I just finished Black Water Sister by Zen Cho and it was such a breath of fresh air. It’s a contemporary fantasy about a modern Malaysian woman fresh out of college and trying to find a job. She moves back to Malaysia with her parents and gets haunted by her dead grandmother, prompting a mystery in the spirit world.

This book is Malaysian fantasy brought to an English audience. I’m somewhat familiar with south Asian religion and it was so delightful. I feel like some uncultured English readers may complain about the style: Cho uses a dialect for the speakers which I found authentic and easy to understand but I can see how it might be hard for people unfamiliar. Similar with the titles. I was pretty comfortable with Ah Ma and Ah Ku and knowing which relatives Jess was referring to when speaking. Also I think she transcribed the Hokkien so well. Even though you’re reading it in English it feels like a different language.

The only negative part of the book for me was the graphic sexual assault. The Black Water Sister was a vengeful spirit that ascended to godhood and took her revenge on men she deemed unworthy. In the end I feel like it had the overall powerful story of reclaiming yourself and that anger isn’t always bad but the scene was graphic for me.

4/5 vengeful spirit stars