Oh, I wanted to like this book. I really did. It started with so much promise! I loved the supernatural aspect, and I did enjoy the look at the Malayan (now Malaysian) cultural beliefs about the afterlife, as it's something I know nothing about. But the "heroine," Li Lan, is no heroine. She's a Mary Sue: she does nothing special, needs to be rescued regularly, and yet three men want to marry her. Why? She's foolish, she's gullible, she jumps to conclusions, and she constantly gets in scrapes of her own making.

Despite the numerous story lines, huge sections of this book dragged terribly. The author could have easily focused on just one story - say, Lim Tian Ching's efforts to marry Li Lan from beyond the grave - and there would be plenty to fill out a novel. Instead, there's the ghost bride story line, a murder story line, one about Li Lan's mother, one about Li Lan's body being possessed by another spirit...on and on and on it went. After awhile, I just didn't care anymore.

Yangsze Choo is a good writer and, overall, I enjoyed her style. I see that the author has recently published a second book, The Night Tiger. Despite my ambivalence over The Ghost Bride, I would absolutely take a look at her latest effort. I'm just hoping it's better than this one.

2.5 stars, rounded up to three for the look at an unfamiliar culture and a promising start