TL;DR: I’m so glad that I finally read my first book by Zen Cho. I’ve heard many great things about Cho’s work and even though this was well outside my comfort zone with all the paranormal activity (ghosts, possessions, etc.), I’m so glad I gave it a chance because I ended up loving it! There was so much to appreciate in Black Water Sister from the strong characters and themes to the simmering rage thrumming through these pages. On a more personal level, the sociocultural elements and parts of Jess’s story were so relatable as they are also part of my experience, which made the story more impactful for me as a reader. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for speculative fiction with non-Western roots, a flawed yet relatable main character, and a thrilling story about revenge, forgiveness, family, and belonging.

Black Water Sister story is told through Jess’s perspective. She was a flawed and well-meaning main character whose POV I enjoyed reading. Personally, there was so much about her arc that I related to and empathised with. It’s not just that she returned to live in her home country for the first time as an adult, but it was also the relatability of her experience as an Asian daughter who wants to live a life where she honours her true self while also still being filial to the parents she has a complex relationship with. Filial piety is a core part of Asian culture and it’s something that most, if not all, Asian children are raised to understand and abide by whether they grow up in their home country or as part of the diaspora. Seeing Jess try to balance being a closeted gay woman in a long-distance relationship and being the “good girl” who takes care of her parents and keeps her parents happy, all while trying to find a job and find her place in her ‘home country’, made her a very relatable empathetic character.

As messed up as some of her relationships with her family were, I thoroughly enjoyed her interactions with all of them. I especially loved that the author wove in the unique vernacular and bits of Malay in the dialogue, which made the character interactions all the more realistic! Out of all the characters we meet, Ah Ma stood out the most next to Jess and even the god, and I had quite a love/hate relationship with her. 🤣 Honestly though, some of her commentary had me laughing out loud because I could so easily picture this sour-faced and crabby grandmotherly ghost whining about how everyone is a disappointment. The author does an overall fantastic job of weaving Malaysia’s geographic and sociopolitical context into the story and it helped bring it to life. It was easy to picture the streets of Penang with the overly familiar sweltering heat and humidity, the temples, the bustling crowds, and all the food stalls and restaurants full of delicious treats.

Surprisingly, I also enjoyed the paranormal aspect which is not something I expected to say! 😂 I’m The Ultimate Chicken™️ and I was fully braced for the worst but while certain descriptions of the god were hair-raising and chilling, the fear didn’t keep me up at night (mostly). Southeast Asians are an extremely superstitious bunch and whether you truly believe it or not, we have a healthy dose of fear and respect for spirits, so we don’t mess around when it comes to the ‘unknown’. I probably would’ve just let myself die had I found myself in Jess’ shoes (seriously 🤣) so I truly admired her bravery and even the way she sassed Ah Ma and certain spirits. Her tenacity, even in the face of her fear and confusion as she unwillingly gets sucked into a world of vengeful spirits and wrathful gods that she had no idea existed, was amazing so it wasn’t difficult to root for her to find a way out.

Overall, this was such an interesting and entertaining read. I was captivated by the story and once I put it down I could not wait to get back to it again! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Have you read Black Water Sister or is it on your TBR?

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