vampfang's Reviews (104)

I don't believe you necessarily need to be a member of a group in order to write about that group, but some knowledge is necessary. Fu did no research for the book, only stating that she "has trans friends." I read this for a class on gender because my teacher wanted to include more East Asian perspectives, and while obviously the author is Chinese-Canadian and likely incorporates her lived experience into that aspect of the novel, this narrative of the trans experience is sorely lacking in expertise. On the whole, I believe the book was well-written generally, but if you're looking for good LGBT+ representation, give your money to actual trans authors and those who can represent us well.

overall, i really enjoyed this story. it’s a powerful analysis of both power and fighting back. it raises powerful moral questions that mirror ones in our world today, yet manages to not be too heavy-handed with its comparisons. i loved reading about zélie’s righteous anger, but i didn’t like inan’s flip-flopping. he’s shown from the beginning to be a sympathetic oppressor, a dangerous myth if there ever were one. when he magically switches to zélie’s side, he retains his blind faith in the establishment, convincing zélie that reform is the answer to his father’s tyranny. he does eventually switch sides again perhaps showing that there really is no such thing as a benevolent ruler, only to have what could be construed as a change of heart at the very end. true, his story is heartbreaking and meaningful (especially with its obvious connections to a queer child being shunned by their family), but it seems to uphold the harmful idea that those in power can have the people’s best interests in mind and that a corrupt system can be reformed. worse, his relationship with zélie causes her to believe this, with their planning for a better orïsha still including some sort of monarchy. he even causes her to briefly fear their magic, with the belief that it automatically poses a threat to orïsha. this myth is obviously another parallel to the real world and how oppressed peoples, particularly black people are a) automatically deemed to be dangerous threats and b) only allowed to fight back when their fighting causes no real damage to the establishment. while eventually zélie comes to her senses, the original message is there. overall, the book could have been a bit more radical for my taste (denouncing not only police brutality but the inherent brutality in the existence of police and the state as a whole), but overall a poignant message about protest and power.

the inherent horror of silence seems to suggest that humanity requires some form of interaction with each other/the world in order to survive, an optimistic take coming from a horror story.