Checking Availibility...Description
A noirish page-turner about a mysterious disappearance and a moving portrait of a Chinese Canadian family navigating insecurities, expectations, and simmering anger in their small BC town.
Casper Han grew up the dutiful son of immigrants who never felt entirely welcome in their remote corner of British Columbia. Now an adult, living in Vancouver with a boyfriend whose privilege he quietly resents, Casper rarely returns to his hometown, the site of a grief his family doesn't discuss: the loss of his twin brother, Sam.
Over twenty years have passed since Sam went missing, and a crisis brings Casper and his siblings back. Their father has vanished, only to be found wandering the vast woods beyond the family home, confused and clutching a pair of scissors, seemingly trapped in the memory of that tragic night. In order to move forward, the Han family must finally confront the past and untangle the mystery of what really happened to Sam.
Combining the atmosphere and intrigue of a cracking good suspense novel with the depth of a rich character study, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut tells the story of a family whose members have long made themselves small and quiet and obedient--and what happens when the cycle is finally broken.
About this Author
EDDY BOUDEL TAN has been a finalist for the Edmund White Award, the ReLit Best Novel Award, and the Ferro-Grumley Award for his novels After Elias and The Rebellious Tide. He was named a Rising Star by Writers' Trust of Canada in 2021. His short stories can be found in Joyland, Yolk, and various literary journals and anthologies. He lives in Vancouver with his husband.
Reviews
"I adored The Tiger and the Cosmonaut! This beautifully written novel is compelling, suspenseful, tender and true."
--Liane Moriarty, #1 internationally bestselling author of Here One Moment
"The Tiger and the Cosmonaut is the kind of rich literary suspense that grips your heart and your throat at once. The tenderness of childhood, the shame of long-held secrets, the pain of invisibility--these complex truths about survival, identity, and familial love are explored with nuance and care, in a haunting mystery with a walloping conclusion. Eddy Boudel Tan is a beautiful writer and an affecting storyteller."
--Ashley Audrain, author of The Push and The Whispers
"A deftly woven novel about a family mystery, held for decades, that reveals the bottomless sorrow and reserves of strength found in one immigrant family. Eddy Boudel Tan is a savvy and sensitive writer who will, by turn, wow you with the turns in his story and move you to tears."
--Kevin Chong, author of The Double Life of Benson Yu
"Reading The Tiger and The Cosmonaut is like tossing lit matches at a gasoline drum. You know it's gonna blow but have no clue when. And Eddy Boudel Tan kept me guessing right up until one hell of an explosive ending!"
--P. J. Vernon, author of Bath Haus
"A propulsive, braided mystery that offers page-turning revelations on immigrant family relationships and how they shape, break, and reinvent us. Eddy Boudel Tan offers an incredible gem on the important truths of diasporic and queer identity, the intrusion of past secrets on the present, and the invisibility of Asian model-minorities who long to be seen in western society. He has skillfully woven together a deeply complicated and moving plot with elegant prose that will stay long with the reader. An engrossing and nuanced feat."
--Lindsay Wong, author of Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality
"In a monumental scene at the heart of the book, Eddy Boudel Tan manages to break down his characters with such finesse that you cannot help but be broken with them. Then, like the masterful storyteller he is, he spends the rest of the book rebuilding them, and you, with dignity."
--Danny Ramadan, author of Crooked Teeth
"This tight and gorgeous novel about small town secrets had me hooked from its opening pages to its triumphant twisting ending. The Tiger and the Cosmonaut is as luminous as a blood moon."
--Farzana Doctor, author of The Beauty of Us
"Masterfully combines mystery, family drama, and the sacrifices that immigrant parents make in the hopes of giving their children a better life. At the heart of the story is a thoughtful and universal exploration of identity--not only in how we see one another, but also how we perceive ourselves. I loved this book and the world that Eddy Boudel Tan has created within its pages."
--Brian Francis, author of Missed Connections
"Suspenseful, heartbreaking, and moving, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut is an unforgettable tale of survival, love, and courage. A magnificent achievement."
--Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child
"Every page leaves you breathless, eager to learn more about the family and the community at the story's centre, and before you know it you're caught in the middle of a heart-wrenching mystery, through which the author deftly, astutely, and compassionately sheds light on family relationships where each member harbours a secret as a matter of survival, regardless of its cost to one, and even to all. Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down."
--Shani Mootoo, author of Polar Vortex
"A raw portrayal of a Chinese Canadian family forced to deal with skeletons in their closet. Eddy Boudel Tan writes a page-turner filled with unexpected twists and turns exposing the violence found in a 'progressive' BC town."
--Christina Wong and Daniel Innes, author and illustrator of Denison Avenue
"A twisty page-turner where there's always more than meets the eye. More than a mystery, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut is about what we do to survive and what we lose in the process. Eddy Boudel Tan has crafted a novel that will linger in your mind long after its final pages. I know this book will stay with me."
--Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost to the Water
If the product is in stock at the store nearest you, we suggest you call ahead to have it set aside for you, or you may place an order online and choose in-store pickup.
