Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water
{4.5/5} “She could not in fact cook, which was no surprise in a votary of the Order of the Pure Moon. They were not one of the useful orders that reared goats and taught children mathematics. Every tokong of the Pure Moon that Tet Sang had ever known had been supported by a numerous establishment of servants, whose attendance on the nuns gained them pahala and enabled the nuns to devote their days exclusively to study, meditation and self-cultivation.”
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho, released in 2020
When a waitress is getting in trouble with a customer at a coffeehouse, two bandits intervene. They pay the coffeehouse owner and the waitress, who gets fired, for their trouble. Later Guet Imm the ex-waitress visits Fung Cheung, Tet Sang, and their fellow bandits at their camp. She wants to join their group — she says she can cook and clean.
This is a novella.
It’s a delightful story with a playful tone. Cho vividly paints a picture of a world engaged in a silent war. I like how the group calls themselves “travelling contractors.”
It’s about what happens when you go against the government of the day, and what happens when a job goes wrong.
This is the 1st book I’ve read by Cho.