The Tiger and the Cosmonaut

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.

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.

ISBN: 9780735248557
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Published: April 29, 2025

“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.”