When they get there, though, Leeds meets Willow, another guest, and finds himself drawn to her in spite of himself. In a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, he brings Layla back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met.

Gone is her special spark, her quirkiness, and the connection that had entranced Leeds months before. Layla spends months recovering in a hospital, and it seems the girl Leeds fell for might be forever changed. A former girlfriend–turned-stalker wastes no time in finding and attacking Layla. A blissful courtship follows, but then Leeds makes the mistake of posting a picture of himself with Layla on social media. When Leeds approaches Layla, their connection is both instant and intense. Through the interview, readers learn that Leeds was wasting both his time and his musical talent playing backup for a small-town wedding troupe called Garrett’s Band when he spied Layla dancing her heart out to their mediocre music at a wedding. The story opens as Leeds Gabriel meets with a detective while his girlfriend, Layla, is restrained in a room one flight above them. Cho’s evocation of place is impeccable, but while the plot moves quickly between supernatural events and familial squabbles, the relationships between characters remain somewhat underdeveloped the most important journey is the one Jess takes toward understanding herself and her own autonomy.Ī charming romp through a world where Malaysian spirits are very real.Īn aimless young musician meets the girl of his dreams only to have his newfound happiness threatened by several inexplicable-and possibly supernatural-events.

Fast-paced and full of witty one-liners, with a solid grounding in contemporary Malaysia, this is a fun urban fantasy that touches on the ways in which trauma and violence echo through generations. Soon, Jess is mixed up in a world of real estate tycoons, petty gangsters, and gods who really don’t like it when you tamper with their shrines-and the Black Water Sister is the worst of them all. In the middle of making sure her father doesn’t work too hard and entertaining a steady stream of her aunt’s friends, Jess is visited by her grandmother’s ghost, who definitely has unfinished business.

Having grown up in the United States, Jess finds returning to Malaysia is an adjustment, as she tries to balance her family’s expectations (she’s living in her aunt’s house, after all) with her own ideas about what her life should look like (maybe her girlfriend shouldn’t be secret). Jessamyn Teoh’s grandmother is back from the dead-but Jess is the only one who can hear her.Īfter financial setbacks, Harvard graduate Jess and her parents move back to Malaysia looking for a fresh start.

Black water sister