CHASING MOONFLOWERS

A teenage girl uncovers dark secrets—both earthly and supernatural—in an attempt to rescue her brothers and clear her uncle’s name in Chow’s novel.

The year is 1925, and teenager Ling Shaw works at her uncle Dabak’s medicinal herbal shop in colonial Hong Kong. Tensions are high as the Canton labor strikes are just beginning, and a rash of child disappearances has swept the island. One night, Ling witnesses a woman murdered by a horrific vampirelike creature who rips out the victim’s eyes and stuffs her mouth with mysterious petals. When Dabak is accused of the crime, Ling sets out alongside her best friend and a shady gang member to find the truth. The stakes become even higher when Ling’s twin brothers disappear, and the suspect is none other than the city’s resident oracle—an old woman who may know more than she is letting on. Interspersed with Ling’s story is a series of flashbacks to the year 1923, where a mysterious man encounters visions and voices in the Guianas as those around him die of a mysterious “blood disease.” As the connection between the two stories crystallizes, Ling is forced to make a painful choice that could change his life forever. Chow’s complex character study is part supernatural tale, part historical drama. She deftly moves from the intricacies of real events (like the Canton labor strikes)—and their effects on different characters—to graphic horror scenes that would feel at home in a Stephen King novel: “Rage sent his hands deeper into the beast’s head. Putrid sludge oozed from the obliterated skull. Crimson streamed from the punctures in his own chest. The other shadows slithered closer…” A smooth narrative flow, realistic dialogue, and brisk pacing all conclude with an open-ended but somehow deliciously satisfying ending. Chow ultimately fuses themes of identity, family, and nationality with a terrifying vampire story—all resulting in a bloody good read.

A dazzling blend of fantasy intrigue and historical drama that will haunt readers long after the final page.