Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In contemporary China, Deshi accidentally kills his older brother, Wei, by shoving him in front of a moving jeep, and his furious mother, calling on the ancient tradition of ghost marriage, demands that he find the unmarried Wei a corpse bride, a recently deceased single woman who will accompany him in the afterlife. Guilt-ridden Deshi seeks the help of a matchmaker, a grave robber, and a hospital attendant before he runs into stubborn, spirited Lily, who would make a perfect bride if she weren't so alive. Is Deshi prepared to commit murder to fulfill his mother's request? Or will he find a way to give his parents some peace while preserving his own happiness? Novgorodoff's exaggerated, cartoonish figures appear against spare, inky backgrounds resembling traditional Chinese landscape paintings, as if history and heritage loom over Deshi and Lily as they make their way forward to their futures. Deshi's grief and guilt, meanwhile, are hauntingly, gorgeously rendered in smoky, aqueous watercolor washes, which subtly suggest a gaping mouth and face hovering over Lily and spilling between panels. It's a simple, darkly comic story, but Novgorodoff's artful juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary imagery elevates it to eloquently echo a deeper, all-encompassing tension between past and progress.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
When Deshi Li accidentally kills his brother Wei during an argument, their mother demands that he find Wei a corpse bride, fulfilling the ancient Chinese tradition of "ghost marriage" that is still practiced in some provinces today. Unable to locate a suitably fresh body even with the help of middleman Mr. Song, Deshi sets his sights on the very much alive Lily Chen, who makes his job especially easy by begging him to take her away from her boring village. His plan to turn Lily into an eligible stiff goes awry, however, when his conscience-and his heart-inadvertently interfere. Meanwhile, Lily's father is after them with the village's finest men, and Mr. Song is determined to finish the job he was hired to do. Verdict Novgorodoff (Refresh, Refresh) illustrates beautifully immersive watercolor scenes and detailed backgrounds that are tough to reconcile visually with her rather inhuman-looking characters. It's hard to tell what mood she was attempting to set. Consequently, some readers might be moved by Deshi's predicament, others might just enjoy the novel as a dark-humored adventure story. Recommended to teens and adults with an interest in Chinese culture or quirky graphic novels.-Heather Williams, Whatcom Community Coll., Bellingham, WA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
