by Yangsze Choo
First published 2019
Ren receives a dying request from his master: locate the severed finger lost in an old accident and return it to the body within 49 days, or the man's spirit will wander forever. The eleven-year-old Chinese houseboy begins his urgent search across 1930s colonial Malaysia. Meanwhile, Ji Lin dreams of becoming a doctor but works as a dressmaker's apprentice by day. At night, she dances in halls to earn money for her mother's gambling debts. When a dance partner hands her a grotesque gift, a human finger, Ji Lin believes it brings misfortune. She asks her stepbrother to help find its owner. As Ren's deadline approaches, a tiger stalks the town and kills residents. The boy and young woman discover their quests connect in unexpected ways. Their parallel searches unfold against rising tensions between old Chinese beliefs and modern colonial life, while family loyalties and budding romance complicate their mission.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, asian-american
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: parallel-narratives, supernatural-mystery
Setting: Malaysia
Period: 1930s
384 pages · Hardcover · Flatiron Books