The Tiger and the Cosmonaut by Eddy Boudel Tan

Eddy Boudel Tan delivers a deeply moving and psychologically nuanced story of a fractured family confronting long-buried trauma in The Tiger and the Cosmonaut.

Favourite Quote:

“I peer out the window at distorted shapes cast across the lawn from the dimming light. The rain has let up and yet the landscape remains pliant, like an oil painting that hasn’t dried. It’s the hour when everything darkens as we slip from one world, and one version of ourselves, to another.”

Book Synopsis:

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, Sam.

Over twenty years have passed since Sam went missing, and a pressing crisis has brought 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, accustomed to fleeing their problems, must stay put and finally confront the past—untangling 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.

Book Review:

This is my first Eddy Boudel Tan novel, and I can say with confidence that it won’t be my last. I found his words mesmerizing. At times I had to pause to admire a particularly gorgeous sentence. It’s the kind of book that casts that magical spell on you that all bookworms chase. That immersive experience where the world melts away. I’d categorize this somewhere between literary fiction and a mystery.

Casper Han has done everything to distance himself from his small-town BC roots. He’s got a fancy life in Vancouver, a boyfriend from a totally different world, and a talent for avoiding family drama. But when his dad goes missing and turns up wandering the woods with scissors, Casper has no choice but to head back to the place he’s been avoiding for years.

The real heart of the story? Casper’s twin brother Sam disappeared over twenty years ago, and nobody in the family talks about it. Classic avoidance strategy. But now with Dad losing his grip on reality and seemingly stuck in the past, the Han siblings have to finally face what happened all those years ago.

What I loved about this book is how real it feels. Eddy nails that suffocating small-town vibe where the Han family never quite fit in as immigrants. You can practically feel the weight of everyone tiptoeing around the Sam-shaped hole in their lives. And the woods? They’re practically another character – beautiful but kind of menacing too.

Casper’s relationship with his boyfriend adds interesting layers to the story, subtly examining questions of privilege, cultural identity, queerness, and belonging. There’s an undercurrent of resentment that Casper just can’t shake.

The mystery unfolds at just the right pace – not too fast, not too slow. The tension builds and builds, and it keeps you turning pages while also giving you time to really get to know these characters who’ve spent decades making themselves “small and quiet and obedient.” Watching them finally break that cycle is both heartbreaking and satisfying.

The Tiger and the Cosmonaut isn’t just a whodunit – it’s a deeply human story about a family learning that you can’t outrun your past forever. Tan has outdone himself with this one. Trust me, the Han family will stay with you long after you’ve put it down.

Thank you, Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.