Bingus Reads

Lived up to the hype so bad omg... I LOVE YOU XIRAN JAY ZHAO.

This book was so refreshing to read- I read it in its entirety in one day with minimal breaks because I just kept being pleasantly surprised. The thematic elements of this book are perhaps its biggest strength; at every turn, Wu Zetian defies the confines of gendered roles, whether it's in terms of the raw power of the mechs, the shame surrounding women's bodies, the pleasantness that women are supposed to perform, or a sense of sexuality that centers male desire. The novel and its protagonist explicitly go through the process of decentering men, both in structures of power and within our own minds. Beyond its gendered themes, I also really appreciated the subversion of the love triangle ("the strongest shape is a triangle") with it being both a genuine triangle (with all sides present and fairly minimal drama) but also a practical advantage to the protagonist.

Something else I appreciate was that Wu Zetian just straight up killed people. And happily too, she was having a good time! The asshole pilot who killed her sister: dead. The strategist who abused Li Shimin and was covering up the intentional murder of female concubines: dead. All those other people who she killed: also dead. Rather than concerning herself with notions of redemption for members of an oppressive class, she created genuine material change for women's circumstances through violent revolution. I often find the typical "if we do X to punish (insert oppressors), then we're no better than they are" to be a poorly veiled narrative that serves to benefit the oppressive classes of real life by convincing people that violence cannot create meaningful change- in reality, violence almost always has some hand in creating social progress. Finally, I enjoyed that the Hunduns were indigenous to their planet, with humans being invaders sent to harvest spirit metal. Not much to add about that; I expected something like that was the case (at the very least, that the Hunduns were originally peaceful), because otherwise it would not have been a very compelling plot point.

This has been on my radar for so long and I’m so glad that I FINALLY read it. Miller plays with dramatic irony really well in this book for both those who know how their story ends AND those who might be completely new to it. I don’t think I have any notes for what I would’ve wanted to see or elements I thought should’ve been edited; it was a consuming, satisfying, and emotional experience.

Everything about this was amazing: the world-building was so excellent without being too expository and the characters were so vividly human. I also love how Miller filled out the existing plot to really breathe life into the story; it felt like the same authentic, tragic Greek tale, but done in depth to further develop the same classic characters. In particular, the clear, mutual devotion between Achilles and Patroclus was incredibly tender and gratifying. I don’t really know how to describe just how well written this book was.

**Spoilers**

I read this book in like 3 hours right after getting it from the library- what an experience! I feel like it delivers everything it promises in a succinct and yet fairly transportive way. First of all - I LOVE CONVENIENCE STORES, so the narrator's avid love was something I could relate to, albeit for different reasons.

Keiko's perspective was so interesting; her point of view as someone who exists on the outside looking in at societal norms really helped her to be a conduit for the thematic elements of the book and its commentary on societal expectations for women. For me, the one thing that would've added to the book is if she voiced some of her comments out loud; I think it would've been interesting to have some dialogue with other characters about her thoughts on the world (and NOT just with Shiraha, he sucks and I wish there was less of him). This was a great quote pertaining to the larger themes as demonstrated in her sister (who was interesting and I wish we saw more of!):

"She's far happier thinking her sister is normal, even if she has a lot of problems, than she is having an abnormal sister for whom everything is fine."