I began reading the book Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo on my way home from China in September 2019. By then, it had been on my ebook queue in my Nook for awhile. After finishing two books on that trip and begin immersed in Asian culture, I figured that would be a good time to start. It took me awhile to finish because of work and life slowing down my reading speed. I finished it in late January and no lie the next morning the series popped up on my Netflix suggestions! I figured this is as close to supernatural interventions as it gets. So of course I began watching it!
I thought here would be a good place for me to compare and give my thoughts on the book versus the television serious for Ghost Bride.
The Basics
Nationality: Chinese (But Filmed in Malaysia!)
Viewing Platform: Netflix
Number of Episodes: 6
Episode Length: 60 minutes
**Netflix has the option to watch it dubbed in English.
Short Summary
Li Lan comes from a Chinese family that has settled for generations in Malacca. This series is historic set in the 1890s. Her family is respectable, but is now poor. She is in love with the newly appointed heir of the prestigious Tian family. However, things go astray when she is presented with the option of being the ‘ghost bride’ of the families recently deceased eldest son. This is taboo and really unlucky. Li Lan through a series of circumstances finds herself in the land of the dead and needing the help of the mysterious Er Lang .
Let’s Still the Milk Tea
Three words to describe Ghost Bride…
Leave ghosts alone!
First, I must say that the series is really jus at lose interpretation of the book. (As is most case in book to screen adaptations.) The book was much darker and series while the Netflix series used a lot more satire. However, both give a good look at Malaysian/Chinese death culture. They show the importance of giving offerings for afterlife currency by making them a big plot element.
NOTE: It is a common practice to burn paper currency and other paper goods to provide for your loved on in the after life.
I enjoyed this unique cultural view of a whole group of people I knew nothing about. The book does a great job of describing the foods and ceremony in social interactions. The series instead focused on the funeral ceremonies that were essential to the plot. However, sometimes the book went into too much detail causing the narrative to drag. Probably part of the reason it took me a bit to finish the book.
The character of Tian Chiang was made emo-attractive for the series. The book Tian Ching was described as fat and sloppy. His personality was classic second generation rich. There were also a lot more ghosts and family members in the mansion in the afterlife. There were also big disparities in the personalities of Li Lan and Er Lang. Both were very different in the book and series.
Li Lan of the series was much more independent and head strong than the one of the book. In the book she is love sick after the new heir Tian Bai and makes some very terrible decisions because of it. Er Lang was a lot more mysterious in the book while his character on screen was really goofy. In the book, Er Lang wore a hat covering his face most of the time. He was a in fact a deity in the book as well investigating sketchy world of the dead happenings.
The book also contains family secrets for both families that get more sensation as you read on. Unfortunately, the series stays pretty two dimensional with the plot.
Real Talk
**Spoilers Ahead!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book or the series. They were all kind of middle ground for me. (Not fantastic, but not awful either.) The book began to drag in the middle and Li Lan was so melodramatic at some points it was painful. The series changed the ending of the book in order to create an opportunity for a sequel. The ending for the book was better and more believable with Li Lan going to be the bride of Er Lang.
My biggest beef with the difference between the series and the book is the reason Li Lan ended up in limbo and trapped in the underworld. Like a any rational person, Li Lan takes all of this sketchy tea given to her by a fortune teller. This pulls her spirits from her body even though she is still breathing. In the series, she is drugged with something like chloroform while researching the death of Tian Ching.
There was also a much better twist at the end of the book where Li Lan’s body is taken over by another ghost leaving her unable to inhabit her body again. That was such an exciting moment that would have been useful in the series as well. Alas, it was left out. The vengeful fiancé was okay, but she did not exist in that form in the book. Tian Bai started out like a strong contender for her heart at the beginning of the book much like in the series. However, he turned out to be a lot weaker character than Er Lang in the end.
Final Thoughts
The book and series are both a good way to kill some time. Especially if you are interested in funeral culture of Southeastern Asia. The series is an easy commitment since you can watch it dubbed so you can avoid concentrating on subtitles. Ghost Bride the book is also interesting if you can get past some of the longer parts and dramatic characters. I did prefer the book to series, but you could easily enjoy either or depending on how you feel.
Boba Rating: 3 out of 5
Have you read or watched Ghost Bride? Do you prefer the book or the movie?
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