by Wen-yi Lee
Part of The Butterfly Duet
First published 2027
Iris Yen Wan wanders the streets of 1975 Singapore, using her ability to see ghosts to help a gravedigger locate bodies. The city transforms around her as rivers disappear and cemeteries vanish for development. When Iris discovers a girl with butterfly tattoos preserved in an apartment for two years, the corpse opens its eyes at her approach. Adeline Siow, the dead girl's lover, offers Iris shelter in exchange for help bringing back her murdered partner Ang Tian. Iris accepts, but her new home brings danger. Shapeshifters stalk her through the streets. A death god's son appears nightly. In the city's industrial center, men without magic kill to steal power from others. Inside the apartment, Iris finds herself drawn to Adeline among the endless burning candles. Yet she fears that Ang Tian may never return, or worse, that something inhuman might come back wearing her face.
Genres: literary-fiction, 20th-century, fantasy, horror, paranormal-fiction, urban-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, haunting, intimate, mysterious, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, sapphic-romance, slow-burn, supernatural-mystery
Setting: Singapore
Period: 1975
304 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books
Content warnings: death, murder