What is his relationship to the local people, specifically the young women he sleeps with? Do you think his impact on the community is ultimately positive or negative? What does this novel have to say about race and class more generally?ĥ.

As a surgeon in Batu Gajah, William Acton straddles two worlds, that of the locals and that of the foreigners. Does Ren's desire to bring the finger to his former master's grave come from a place of love or fear? How is Ren's life shaped by the masters for whom he works, and how does he determine his own fate?Ĥ. How do their narrative styles and worldviews compare? Do you prefer one to the other? How would the novel have been different had it only been from one perspective?ģ. Discuss the structure of the novel, alternating between Ren's and Ji Lin's perspectives. The novel's title evokes the story of the weretiger, 'a beast who, when he chooses, puts on a human skin and comes from the jungle into the village to prey on humans.' What is the significance of that Malayan folktale in the novel? What does it represent for the different characters?Ģ.

Recommend for book clubs seeking something different as this book is part mystery, part fantasy, and part romance.ġ. There is also abuse and violence in the family unit. It also touches on family obligation and dysfunction as Ji Lin, a young girl makes many sacrifices to help pay off her mother's debt. Recommend for those that love beautiful prose, magical realism or reading about new cultures.īook Club Talking Points: The Night Tiger has themes of servants/ masters roles, Chinese folklore and superstition, and sibling rivalry. This is a book with many layers some will warm your heart and some will intrigue.

It's an alluring love story with a touch of mystery that will take the reader to a world that is equal parts mysticism and reality. The setting is 1930s Malaya and it follows the lives of Ji Lin, a young woman making sacrifices to help pay off her mother's debt and Ren, a young boy trying to find his former master's lost finger, so his master's spirit will not wander for eternity. PBR Book Review:At the heart of this book are beautiful characters, and a captivating story filled with Chinese mythology, superstition, and culture.

The night tiger book