The Undertaking of Lily Chen

Novgorodoff, Danica. The Undertaking of Lily Chen. 2014. ISBN 978-1-59643-586-5. 741.5 NOV on the library shelves.

In rural China, it is the custom to bury couple together after they die so heart at they gym can share an eternal bedroom. However, what about single adults? A large corpse bride black market has arisen, where marriage brokers, hospitals and mortuaries provide "brides" to grief stricken parents so they can can marry their son's corpse and bury them together.

When his brother Wei dies in an accident, Deshi's life changes. Responsible for Wei's death, Deshi is tasked by his parents to find him a bride. Deshi leaves home and begin looking through the countryside for a corpse he can bring back. But when he comes upon Lily, the daughter of a farmer, he decides that he might as well bring back a live girl and kill her at home. Lily ha reason to leave home too due to her poor marriage prospects and her father's farm being foreclosed.

Chased by Lily's father and by a corpse hunter, Deshi and Lily begin developing a relationship. But as home gets closer, Deshi must decide if he will follow his original plan and provide his parents with Lily's corpse or if he would rather keep Lily for himself.

Beautifully illustrated, this graphic novel is a quick read and an interesting perspective on  a different culture.