Yangsze Choo's 6 favorite works about love and human connection
The best-selling author recommends works by Cho Nam-Joo, Hiro Arikawa and more
- 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' by Cho Nam-Joo (2016)
- 'Bluebird, Bluebird' by Attica Locke (2017)
- 'The Travelling Cat Chronicles' by Hiro Arikawa (2012)
- 'Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking' by Madhur Jaffrey (1996)
- 'Kitchen/Moonlight Shadow' by Banana Yoshimoto (1988)
- 'The Kiss' by Anton Chekhov (1887)
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Novelist Yangsze Choo is the best-selling author of "The Ghost Bride" and "The Night Tiger," both of which mix history and folklore. In her new novel, "The Fox Wife," a detective in 1908 Manchuria crosses paths with a murderous fox spirit.
'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' by Cho Nam-Joo (2016)
I read this short novel in a day, captivated by its spare, powerful prose. The story of Kim Ji-young is that of many Korean women, born into families and a society that places sons on a pedestal at the expense of daughters. Kim Ji-young's growing invisibility and the sacrifices both she and her mother make for their families are visceral and thought-provoking. Buy it here.
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'Bluebird, Bluebird' by Attica Locke (2017)
This is a compelling mystery set in East Texas, about a Black Texas Ranger who investigates a murder in his hometown. Locke's deft, insightful touch brings the setting and its characters to dazzling life, and captures a complicated dance between hatred and love. Buy it here.
'The Travelling Cat Chronicles' by Hiro Arikawa (2012)
I bought this slim book on a whim and read it during a long plane ride, not realizing how moved I would feel by the end of it. Yes, it is a novel partly narrated by a cat. But it is also a deeply touching testament to love and relationships. Buy it here.
'Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking' by Madhur Jaffrey (1996)
This is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, by an author I adore. I reach for this book to make turmeric rice, green lentils with cilantro and mint, and "The Most Delicious Meat Cubes" — on weeknights when I need to make a flavorful, spicy family dinner in a hurry. Buy it here.
'Kitchen/Moonlight Shadow' by Banana Yoshimoto (1988)
I first read this book — really, two short novellas — many years ago, and I recently re-read it when I recommended it to my kids. It addresses death and love; the blurring of two worlds, particularly in "Moonlight Shadow," is beautifully done and one of my writing inspirations. Buy it here.
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'The Kiss' by Anton Chekhov (1887)
Strictly speaking, this is a short story — but one that has dwelled in the back of my mind for many years. More than a century has passed since Chekhov wrote it, but the feelings and confusion incited by a single, mistaken kiss in a dark room remain the same, I suspect, for people everywhere. Buy it here.
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