While this is a story about war, death, and vengeance, it is also about the complexities of gender and identity, as both Zhu and Ouyang are genderqueer. (If you’re like me and know absolutely nothing about this very real, very historical event.) In fact, the first change in perspective had me worried about Zhu, because the first part of the book is told entirely from Zhu’s POV and then suddenly it’s not, and I was so sure she had died.
This is an extremely engaging read, and the POV shifts will leave you concerned for the fate of the various characters.
The prose is almost lyrical, painting a well-crafted portrait of a war-torn country the characters are complex, and the author’s skill at building tension is fantastic. It’s hard to believe that She Who Became the Sun is Parker-Chan’s debut novel. I don’t agree with a lot of her decisions, but you have to admire her resilience and craftiness. Zhu’s stubborn refusal to become the nothing she was fated to be is inspirational, albeit pragmatic and not always moral. It emphasizes the importance of power, and freedom of choice, regardless of circumstances. This is also the story of General Ouyang, who chose becoming a eunuch over being murdered like the rest of his family and has spent every day since plotting his revenge against the Mongol invaders who destroyed his life.įor the most part, the book alternates between Zhu and Ouyang’s perspectives as both of them do whatever they must to achieve the destinies that are laid out before them. She lives as a man, seeking refuge at a Buddhist monastery (which is eventually burned down by the Mongols) before joining up with the rebel Red Turbans, who are hoping to drive the Mongols out of China. For Zhu Chongba has been gifted a great fate, and she was gifted nothing, and she is determined his fate will be hers. This is the story of a young girl who, after the deaths of her father and brother, assumes her dead brother’s identity. But even knowing now what I didn’t know then, I still would have read this book.Īlso, most of the violence happens off-screen, but I have a very vivid imagination. As far as She Who Became the Sun goes, I was dazzled by the pretty cover and I guess failed to realize the entire premise of the book.
I know this may seem ridiculous, considering I review Attack on Titan which is not exactly a fluffy story, but I’m not a huge fan of violence and bloodshed in my fictional stories. A brutal book of war and famine, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a queer reimagining of the founding of China’s Ming dynasty that has no business being as poetic as it is.
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