One of BookPage's Best Books of 2021
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2021 Best Audiobook
One of Book Riot's Best SFF Standalones of 2021
One of Tor Reviewers' Choice Best Books of 2021
A twisty, feminist, and enthralling page-turner steeped in Malaysian mythology. (BuzzFeed)
When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents—a country she last saw when she was a toddler.
She soon learns the new voice isn’t even hers, it’s the ghost of her estranged grandmother. Drawn into a world of Malaysian myth and real-world consequences filled with gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business, but dealing with her grandmother is just as complicated.
“[Focusing on] Malaysia’s Chinese diaspora culture. . . an immersive tale of family secrets, deities, spirits, and religious belief. Cho offers a complex emotional roller-coaster of a read.”—Library Journal
“Ghosts. Gods. Gangsters. Wildly entertaining…Black Water Sister has it all!”—Vulture
“Cho’s multifaceted characters, like her masterful plot, are never quite what they first appear. Unpredictable twists keep the pages turning while the comic but endearing relationship between Jess and her sassy grandmother provides the story’s heart. This is a must-read.”—Publishers Weekly
Note: Outstanding on audio!
(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder. +A staff recommendation of hers.)