Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies

by Lindsay Wong

“A suspenseful, audacious, subversive portrait of the lives of unforgettable women. In turns beautiful and gruesome, this book made me cackle aloud, and contains extraordinary depth of thought and imagination. . . . A wickedly good tale.” —Shashi Bhat, author of Death by a Thousand Cuts

A young woman signs her life away in the ancient Chinese tradition of corpse marriage in this wickedly hilarious novel about class, ambition, and the burden of being an impoverished model minority.

Poor, vicious Locinda Lo is a nobody with a powerful witch for a grandmother and an undead corpse-kid-sister as her only friend. A broke MFA dropout living in Vancouver with six roommates and zero job prospects, she’s buried so deep in debt she might as well be six feet under—and her family is in danger of being buried along with her.

Desperate to escape her financial woes and save her grandmother and sister, Locinda signs a contract with a nefarious company, Joyful Coffin & Co. Matchmaking Services, to be auctioned off as a corpse bride to the highest bidder. Next thing she knows, she’s being smuggled underground into the damp caves where her training coffin awaits.

As Locinda prepares for a rich, dying dearly beloved to claim her as his bride-to-be in the Afterlife, her past becomes twisted with that of her grandmother, Baozhai. A feared and revered Villain Hitter, or witchy curse-monger, Baozhai’s legacy stretches from 1920s China to the Battle of Hong Kong in the 40s to New York City thereafter. Across the generational divide, one thing becomes achingly clear to them you can’t outrun your ghosts.

Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies is a daring, genre-bending meditation on life, death, and the murderous cost of living in between. It lays bare the societal and cultural expectations placed on Chinese women and the devastating price of enduring them. This chilling masterclass in fiction cements Lindsay Wong as one of the most provocative Canadian horror writers of our time.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Adult, Canada, Book Club, Adult Fiction, Asian Literature

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2026

About the author

Lindsay Wong holds a BFA in Creative Writing from The University of British Columbia and a MFA in Literary Nonfiction from Columbia University in New York City.

Wong has been awarded fellowships and residencies at The Kimmel-Harding Nelson Center in Nebraska City, Caldera Arts in Oregon, and The Studios of Key West, among others. Currently, she is writer-in-residence at The John Howard Society and The Community Arts Council of Vancouver.

Reviews

[Ai Jiang]

Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies perfectly blends harrowing body horror, Chinese afterlife and minghun, eldest child trauma and guilt, both fortune and curses, karma and consequences, the unfairness of society and choicelessness, while exploring cruelty and isolation, forced solitude, and the desire and struggle to live while hiding your deepest vulnerabilities and protecting your pride through a tongue-in-cheek narrative that is equal parts vicious yet quirky.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one was a pleasant surprise for me. a solid novel that's creepy, witty, & obviously deeply personal.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Locinda Lo is no stranger to the bizarre and frightening. When she was young, her parents created her undead sister Samantha out of waste products. When their parents died suddenly, their grandmother Baozhai entered their lives. She was a powerful, ruthless witch, who had been working for gangsters for years.

Years later, Locinda is desperate for money to keep gangsters from harming her grandmother and Samantha, her only friend. Locinda ends up signing a contract with a matchmaking service to earn enough cash to pay off the gangsters. The problem is, the company, Joyful Coffin & Co. Matchingmaking Services, requires people to agree to be corpse brides, who will then be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Suddenly, Locinda finds herself underground in a cave and locked in a coffin.

The employees prepare all the contracted corpse brides for the Afterlife, manipulating and keeping them compliant through a very restricted diet, flattery and punishment.

At the same time, we learn of Baozhai's life years earlier, from her youth in 1920s China, to the incredible brutalities she lived through during the war in the 1940s, then later her life in New York City in the US. Baozhai gradually transformed from a concubine to a feared and fearsome Villain Hitter, a person who is paid to give other's curses.

This was utterly compelling, and at the same time, utterly weird. There's plenty of gore and body horror, from Samantha's creation and care, Baozhai's many terrible actions, to the sheer skin crawling aspect of things Locinda undergoes to be a corpse bride.

Author Lindsay Wong explains that this is not just some fantastical idea, but that there are marginalized women in China who are being trafficked and murdered for use as corpse brides. The idea of a corpse bride is rooted in an ancient belief that no one should go unmarried or their family will be cursed.

Locinda makes a deal out of desperation, feeling out of all her choices, and a willingness to do anything to protect her sister and grandmother. She's motivated to from the trauma she underwent first by her parents insistence that a zombie-like person was thrust into her life, then by Baozhai's cold and often brutal treatment of the sisters.

The novel deals with much darkness and trauma, exploitation and loneliness. I could not stop reading, no matter how many times I felt uncomfortable or revolted, fascinated by the villain hitting, the practice of bringing Samantha to life, and later the horrible things Locinda undergoes.

I was impressed, gripped, horrified, and unsettled by the inventiveness of the novel and its complex relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada (Adult) for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, but deeply upsetting. The characters are steeped in misfortune, tragedy and bitterness, making it difficult and uncomfortable to be inside their heads, which I think is the point. It's a very interesting concept and premise, and I really appreciated the peek into Chinese folklore and history. Be warned though, this isn't for the faint of heart or someone looking for a fun read. It's fascinating, but dark.

[Clover · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Dark and intriguing.

This was a lot of fun. The dual timeline is laid out in a linear way that most will be accustomed to. Locinda's (Daiyu) starts in present day Vancouver and Baozhai's is in 1920's China. Locinda offers insight into her famous aunt in the present as her story unfolds and the timelines do converge as expected. They are vastly different women coming to age in vastly different times. This dichotomy is explored in Baozhai's relationship with Locinda's sister, Samatha (Meiyu), and in the diasporic issues Locinda faces within Joyful Coffin & Co. Matchmaking Services.

Locinda is such an interesting character as she battles with her crippling self-hate and the clashing values of ancient/modern China. She can't speak Mandarin or Cantonese well, while other brides are fluently tri-lingual, but because Locinda can speak English without an accent she is valued higher than those brides despite being only fluent in English. She has value for things that the community actively shun and berate her for. She is worth more as a corpse bride than she is living, as are most of the brides and husbands. She battles with accepting her death because it will help her family and also wanting to be something/alive/remembered. It's heartbreaking.

There's a lot of commentary on being Chinese in a white world. Wong includes asterisk footnotes with sharp jabs at having to mute one's lived Chinese experience to be more palatable to white readers. I loved these footnotes so much, Locinda has bite and it's a stark reminder of the systemic issues faced in predominantly white institutes (her university MFA program) and as a woman.

Locinda is a dark character. She is full of anger and hate and that's why she excels in Villain Hitting like her Mah Mah. She struggles with acceptance in her family and just simply wants to be loved as she is. Why is Samantha the golden child? Why was she not enough? Why does a corpse get to live a perfect life while she withers away? Yet all of this hate is also infused with shame, guilt, and familial duty which is why she's willing to die to save her family even if her family do nothing but take from her.

This is a dark story about hard themes. I was uncomfortable. I was disgusted yet intrigued. Lindsay Wong includes an author's note that says men have recently (2011) gone to jail for murdering women and trafficking dead bodies for corpse spouses despite China making it illegal in 2003. (!!!)

I am so glad I found this at my local library! I will definitely pick up more Lindsay Wong books and recommend her to people who are interested in Canadian IBPOC authors who are weaving the harsh realities of the diaspora with horror and dark themes. This is similar to Molka and I enjoyed both! Check your local library for a copy or request one if they don't have it! You can also check any local bookstore and ask them to purchase a copy for you!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt so raw in the best ways. A woman, her grandmother, and her (sort of) sister, trying to survive the world and each other against poverty, intergenerational trauma, and their own sharp edges. The characters are hard and cruel and make horrible decisions, and despite all of that and their own intentions they love each other.

I found it dragged a bit in the middle but the ending was phenomenal. I loved the footnotes, and what they wound up representing.

4.5 stars rounded up

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up randomly off a table labeled "weird girl fiction" and was not disappointed.

[Enid Wray]

I think I’m just not the reader for this one.

DNF

[Gigi]

DNF @20%

I really wanted to like this one and for the right reader, it’ll be hit. It has a very unique premise and I love supporting a fellow Asian & Canadian author! However, I think it comes down to a me thing. I wasn’t expecting an uplifting read, but as another reviewer mentions, it’s a story with characters steeped in tragedy and misfortune. The tone is where the story didn’t bode well for me. It sounded very bitter, making it hard to digest. Personally, I don’t think I’m in the right head space for it. Which is ok. We don’t all need to like the same books or have the same opinions.

These are just my own reasons for not enjoying it. But by no means was it terrible. The writing itself is very good and someone who doesn’t have triggers, should give it a chance.

[Leanne Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic, weird and snarky and heartbreaking.

[Zilla Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is why it can sometimes be so rewarding to read outside of your usual genres. I would never normally read horror or body horror, but while those play a big part in this novel, it is about so much more. On one level, it is about how intergenerational trauma, race, sex and class combine to make people “nobodies” but how capitalist ambition and longing make them “vicious.” The main story is of a woman pledged to be a corpse bride, based on actual Chinese folk practices which say it is unlucky to die unmarried and lead some to pay for bodies to bury with those of single loved ones. Wong takes this tradition and runs with it, and her vivid imagination creates an enterprise brimming with her macabre humour - a business in a cave in China called Joyful Coffin which match makes wealthy families with poor young women to be buried alive with their single sons. The main character, Locinda Lo, offers herself as the only way to clear her debts and have money sent to her grandmother and sister. It is an example of extreme capitalism in a supposedly Communist society.

The back story tells us about Locinda’s grandmother’s experiences as a prisoner of war of the Japanese, thus drawing a gruesome parallel between war brides and corpse brides, and reminding the reader of the pervasive abuses heaped upon poor women “nobodies.” The war scenes were brutal but powerful and raised interesting questions - what is the difference between “horror” writing where terrible things happen to bodies that could not actually occur, and “historical fiction” writing where terrible things happen to bodies that did occur? Which makes the reader more squeamish, and why? The real curses are not spells done with shoes and blood, but the curses of our ancestors’ trauma, and being born in a time and place where our complexion, our language, our heritage, our gender is inferior.

There is also a theme of sibling rivalry, as Locinda’s sister, of whom she is often jealous, was dead and was brought back to life to keep her company, but must drink Locinda’s blood to continue to function as a living person. Meanwhile, Locinda works on the family business cursing people as what is traditionally known as a “villain hitter.” This fantastical scenario made me think of the real-life tradition in many immigrant families where siblings are expected to sacrifice for one another and are often set up by parents to compete with each other so that all may succeed - but what happens if one, like Locinda, doesn’t? This is Wong’s genius - to bring this Diasporic experience seamlessly into the horror genre, so that within descriptions of maggots, worms and rotting flesh, we also feel real emotion - the resentment of being the one left behind and overlooked, the self-assessment of being too dark, too unattractive, too ordinary, too poor. The ever-present family obligations as one struggles to chart their own path in life.

I also found this book to be a not so subtle commentary on the writers’ journey, on the writers’ striving for greatness and the bitter realization that so many who succeed at this start with many advantages and privileges, like Locinda’s colleagues in her MFA program at Columbia. I really enjoyed Locinda’s footnotes throughout the book, which include comments she receives in writers’ workshops that are both hilarious and heartbreaking in their realism, such as the comment that she should read The Joy Luck Club to learn to write about immigrant women. But the writers’ life isn’t only described in the scenes about Columbia. Locinda’s very struggle to live, to outrun the clock that counts down to the time when she will be buried alive, to be seen and known as she really is, to dream beyond herself, mirrors what we all as writers aspire to. We seek immortality through our words, and at its heart, this is a book that confronts mortality by asking who we want to be in life and who we want to be in death. What we do in life impacts how we will live in death and what we will leave behind. Despite this being a book with so many deaths in it, it is a book that also celebrates life and second chances. And by the end, I could barely make out the words for my tears.

[Jean McFeely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intriguing story, spanning several decades and featuring two generations of Villain Hitters (professional curse makers), where two of the main characters unpack truckloads of trauma that lead them to various decisions in life.
Mah Mah, the OG Villain Hitter, has been traded and trafficked since she was 8, and while the main focus was her role as a Villain Hitter, there's definitely mention of bedroom visits and war time treatment. Eventually she ends up in New York. Locinda is her granddaughter, and following the return of her baby sister, spends her lifetime living in her sister's shadow, all the while being the thing that keeps her sister "alive". Her grandmother teaches Lo how to be a Villain Hitter, and while supremely adept, like it's said "with great power comes great responsibility," Some poor choices on Lo's behalf lead her to voluntarily becoming a corpse bride to pay off a debt.
It was very interesting getting to read about some Chinese myths and legends and beliefs of the afterlife (I thought Catholics were bad for all their talk of hell - the Chinese have that market cornered! So many different types of hell, and devils and demons).
It also did a great job of illustrating how indentured service continues today, and how the wealthy rarely if ever have to come face to face with consequences...unless they or a family member are dying.

[Hollay Ghadery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies glitters like an ominous jewel. Lindsay Wong creates a deliriously enthralling gothic tale of a dysfunctional family of women who do what they need to do to survive and are punished for it. Filled with morbid humour and piercing insight, Wong’s writing sings. It howls. Locinda and her grandmother, Baozhai, are gorgeous and gruesome; tender and cruel. They are
perfect mirrors through which to reckon with our own unsettling contradictions and complexities. I know they will revisit me on my next dark night of the soul. And I’ll be glad for their company.

[Annie Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hearing the author interviewed on CBC radio, I had to read this book. Did not disappoint. Making the point about the viles of modern capitalism through her story about the illegal Chinese "custom" of burying the dead with a kidnapped or "volunteer" living person. The author researched but was also quite impressive with her imagination of training & selecting Dear Deads to be corpse brides. Some readers see the book as both dark & funny. I was never amused, just horrified. That's personal for me as horror isn't my fave genre in books or films. Horrified for the reasons someone would "volunteer", for families wanting a corpse bride or corpse servant. I was captivated though & invested in seeing how things worked out for Locinda as a corpse bride and the accompanying story of her grandmother from WW2 Hong Kong to present. Unique novel, for sure. Perfect title.

[Rachel Whelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will not be for everyone. I don't even know how to write a review for it. I went into this with expectations of a Gothic dark comedy and that's not what I got but I'm not mad about it. The writing is so engaging it just grabs you be the throat and forces you listen. It took me a bit to get into the story but I really ended up caring for the characters and their journeys. I particularly liked the sections with our main character's Grandma. This is a book I won't soon forget.

[Liza_lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sophisticated weird piece of genius from Wong.

Villain Hitting is almost impossible to describe but I'll tale a stab at it: it begins with Locinda Lo, a Canadian of Chinese descent living in a cave in China, trying to sell herself as a bride to a corpse in order to pay off a debt. The reasons why and her complicated family life including what exactly a villain hitter is, are revealed later in the book.

Wickedly humorous and devastating and sad. An incredible work!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is unlike anything I have read before. Steeped within Chinese culture it is easily approachable by anyone that has a complex family relationship. The novel is contemporary fiction with hints of horror and supernatural elements. It doesn't fit easily into a single genre.

[Amanda T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to love this novel - it has a unique premise. Unfortunately, it gets bogged down in the middle with a character backstory that isn't important to the central storyline. A fantastic beginning and a good ending doesn't make up for it being 100 pages too long.

[Nicole]

I wonder if this one was just too different for me in a week that I was sleep-deprived. I am confused by the plot and cannot get “into” the book and DNF after 5 days seems a good plan. The Globe and Mail recommended this one.

[Ethan Kits · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story sounds great but the writing put me off as seeming a bit pretentious, especially with the little asides at the ends of pages that had the author talking directly to you and commenting on their own story.

[g · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. The witchiest story I've read in ages. Superstition that feels so rich and deep with cultural meaning; in a different Western author's hands, the witchy elements would feel like plot devices instead of a culture. Perfect addition to the weird girl lit subgenre

[Artemis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finish after ~100 pages. Could not get into it/sink my teeth into the story, but the premise was very interesting and out of the comfort zone of what I'd usually gravitate towards. Might come back to it later.

[Adelle Purdham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicious, gruesome, and brilliant. Satisfying all the way through.

[capricornreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book completely captivated me from start to finish, the main character's voice felt so distinct and the premise is fascinating, highly recommend!

[Jade]

DNFing for now, will probably pick it up later

[Michele]

DNF for now. I love this premise but I can’t get into it right now. Slowly got to 12%

[Dar]

DNF, flesh-rotting horror, thought I could handle it but no. Great premise however!

[Magdalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very weird and off-putting, but in a fun way, I think?

[Stefanie]

I don't think this is the book for me, but I tried and hopefully that counts.

[Courtney]

DNF pg82