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mentat_stem 's review for:
Dark and Deepest Red
by Anna-Marie McLemore
I love the structural elements of this novel. The alternating timelines unfurl two distinct stories which enhance each other. The story from the 16th century told in the present tense and the contemporary story told in the past tense. One of the storylines fills more pages and the other alternates between 2 point of view characters as often encountered in a contemporary romance.
Color is important to both. The dyes and inks in one and the flame tests of a chemistry student in the other. These narrative elements provide heft to all other descriptions of color in the story.
And the most important color is of course red. This is a reimagining of the Red Shoes fairy tale. Instead of a morality tale about vanity, it's expanded into an indictment against discrimination toward the other.
I particularly like the emphasis the story places on the craft of an artisan. The custom dyes, the shoemaking, the founding of an artisan collective.
There's also a theme of intersectionality. Distinct family traditions involving ancestors, unfamiliar to the community, but shared between characters of different backgrounds. Different letters of LGBT discovering and uplifting each other. The structure of an aspen grove provides a spectacular metaphor.
In spite of how much magic exists in the story, it's grounded in such a way that I hesitate to label the story fantasy. I love how the periodic intrusion of magic in the contemporary story is described. Sprinkled throughout are single sentences that bloom in the mind into entire magical seasons. The egalitarian and ephemeral nature of this magic stands in stark contrast to the concentration of magic as power so common in traditional fantasy.
The story is dense with actualized metaphors, but its greatest strength is the plethora of relationships that thrive in spite of institutionalized hate. In both subtle and dramatic fashion embracing what the majority hate or fear is shown to be both beautiful and powerful.
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Since it might be of interest to others, I was drawn to read this book by the author's release day twitter thread, celebrating the book with multiple gender presentations. I have more of their books purchased and waiting on my e-reader.
Color is important to both. The dyes and inks in one and the flame tests of a chemistry student in the other. These narrative elements provide heft to all other descriptions of color in the story.
And the most important color is of course red. This is a reimagining of the Red Shoes fairy tale. Instead of a morality tale about vanity, it's expanded into an indictment against discrimination toward the other.
I particularly like the emphasis the story places on the craft of an artisan. The custom dyes, the shoemaking, the founding of an artisan collective.
There's also a theme of intersectionality. Distinct family traditions involving ancestors, unfamiliar to the community, but shared between characters of different backgrounds. Different letters of LGBT discovering and uplifting each other. The structure of an aspen grove provides a spectacular metaphor.
In spite of how much magic exists in the story, it's grounded in such a way that I hesitate to label the story fantasy. I love how the periodic intrusion of magic in the contemporary story is described. Sprinkled throughout are single sentences that bloom in the mind into entire magical seasons. The egalitarian and ephemeral nature of this magic stands in stark contrast to the concentration of magic as power so common in traditional fantasy.
The story is dense with actualized metaphors, but its greatest strength is the plethora of relationships that thrive in spite of institutionalized hate. In both subtle and dramatic fashion embracing what the majority hate or fear is shown to be both beautiful and powerful.
--
Since it might be of interest to others, I was drawn to read this book by the author's release day twitter thread, celebrating the book with multiple gender presentations. I have more of their books purchased and waiting on my e-reader.