Book Review: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

 

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Content Warning: death, murder, violence, fire, homophobia, mutilation, misgendering, gender dysphoria, torture, starvation.

In 1345, the Zhu family is starving. Only three members are left: the father, the eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, and his clever little sister. When a fortune-teller predicts greatness for Chongba, the family is grateful, but a little confused -- unsure as to how he will fulfill this destiny when he is lazy, capricious, and spoiled. His little sister's fate is as expected: nothingness. But when bandits attack, killing their father and leaving the two children orphaned, Zhu Chongba succumbs and dies...and his sister decides to snatch his fate away from him. Spending the rest of her adolescence in a monastery, becoming a monk, and filled with a fiery ambition that will leave destruction in its wake, the new Zhu Chongba takes fate and greatness into her own hands -- at any cost.

Unlike anything I've read before, the comparisons to Mulan and The Song of Achilles really don't do this amazing masterpiece justice. And, yes, it is a masterpiece: massive in scope, challenging the binaries of both gender and history, and woven together by characters who will leave you devastated and enthralled. This is historical fantasy, mainly due to some slight fantastical elements as well as the flipping of a historical narrative, but in spite of its modern take on many things, it reads like you've picked up a translation of a Chinese epic from antiquity. I do have quite a bit of prior knowledge regarding Chinese history, but if you're intimidated by the vast historical aspect of this book, don't be -- it is infinitely readable, informative, and will leave you wanting to learn more about the dynasties at play here.

Zhu Chongba -- we are never enlightened as to her birth name -- is one of those characters that is impossible to forget. She's this fascinating mixture of callousness combined with a sort of good-natured jollity, and in spite of her rather coldhearted ambition, she is so easy to root for. I refer to her here with female pronouns, as this is how she references herself in her narration, but it's important to note that she is what we would probably consider as nonbinary today. She exists somewhere between male and female, between feminine and masculine, and while she doesn't identify with her femaleness or female body (especially since it was such a point of contention when she was a child), neither does she identify with her "new" maleness. Her ability to switch back and forth, to be both one and the other, is beautiful, and I think so many people will feel truly seen because of Zhu's gender identity. Her character is remarkable in every way.

There are several other POV side characters, but the other "half" of Zhu's story is the Mongolian general Ouyang. Oh, how much I adored this character! He is layers upon layers of complexity (much like Zhu), and his pain is actually painful to read because it is so vividly rendered. It's hard to elicit this kind of response in readers, but Parker-Chan does it with an effortlessness that is nothing short of incredible. Ouyang is a eunuch, and therefore his own relationship with gender is just as confused and complicated as Zhu's, but he is not quite able to embrace it as she later does. His relationship with the son of the man who castrated him was so deep, so filled with hurt, that I both longed for their scenes together and also had to prepare myself for the level of emotion they bring to the surface. 

Oh, that reminds me: I can't complete this review without mentioning the relationship between Zhu and Ma Xiuying, the daughter of a rebel (and the rebellion that Zhu finds herself tangled up in). Their dynamic was nothing short of wonderful: playful, heartfelt, full of emotion and an understanding that makes their relationship unique in its depth. Parker-Chan created such a fantastic, beautiful thing between them, and I actually found myself smiling when they were making each other laugh. And the pain, too! Parker-Chan excels at bringing in a mix of feelings that will leave you unsure whether you're heartbroken or happy. 

This review is already too long, but before I finish this up, I do want to also applaud Parker-Chan's deftness at creating a story that I think will be sticking with me for a long, long time. I really cannot express enough how unique this tale is, and how it left me saddened when I closed its pages. The history here is epic, but in spite of the feeling of spanning years and years and creating and ending dynasties and the sheer hugeness of history, you never lose the sensation of being close with Zhu or Ouyang or any of the others. This is a feat of storytelling, and I'm beyond thrilled that this is a duology, and we'll be getting one more book in this series. Parker-Chan has been cemented onto my favorite authors list, and I will be eagerly picking up anything else they put out. 

I can't recommend this one enough, and this is one case where the hype doesn't even do this amazing story justice. Fit this one onto your reading list, and do it quickly -- you won't regret it.