REVIEW: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
In her adult debut, Ann Liang tries her hand at historical fiction with A Song to Drown Rivers. We follow Xishi, based off of one of the Famous Four Beauties of Ancient China with the same name, who lives a humble life with her parents in the war-torn kingdom of Yue, after the death of her sister at the hands of enemy soldiers. Xishi’s beauty is coveted amongst her village, and she is steadily on the path that all beautiful women are expected to find themselves down: marrying well and supporting their families. When Fanli, a military advisor to the King, offers Xishi the opportunity to wield her beauty as a weapon against the enemy kingdom of Wu, Xishi finds herself straying from the path initially paved for her. She is to infiltrate the enemy palace under the guise of a concubine, offered as a gift to the young King of Wu, and topple the royal decree from within. In preparation for her mission, she finds herself falling for Fanli, and he for her. With her heart and her kingdom on the line, Xishi must gain the affection and trust of the King, without losing herself in the process.
A Song to Drown Rivers is a standalone historical epic, erring on the side of YA, but ultimately classified as adult, perhaps due to the few moments of visceral violence that war entails. The grimdark value is found within scenes like these, but also within the thread of the story that holds Xishi as a weapon and a pawn within a much larger political game. Whilst the romance felt like a steady string holding the story taut, it is the war, and Xishi’s role within it, that really had me turning the pages. Had the novel been longer, with more action in the Wu court, I would have felt compelled to agree with the classification of this story as an ‘epic’, but it ultimately fell short for me, as the story felt stunted and rushed. As mentioned, the story felt slightly YA, despite its categorisation as adult. Many of the plot points felt juvenile and convenient. The Wu court was supposed to be a hotbed for deception and corruption, but ultimately Xishi had to deal with a few aggressions from other concubines. The parts of the novel that did feel darker, such as the scenes where court advisors attempts to intercept Xishi’s influence over King Fuchai, were exceptionally done, and my only critique is that I wish there were more scenes of this manner. The political intrigue throughout was thrilling, and I enjoyed how Xishi slot herself into areas that were simply not welcoming to women.
Xishi is a strong character, one whose growth felt natural with the situation she finds herself in. Every political move she made felt realistic to her character, which gave the story a sense of self-awareness that a lot of other ‘chosen one’ stories may lack. I particularly enjoyed the character of Fuchai, King of Wu. He is multi-faceted; beautiful to all, kind to Xishi, barbaric to anyone who slightly crosses him. It was fascinating reading the dynamics between him and Xishi, as her façade takes her deeper into the Wu court, and she is subject to his great affection, and greater disdain from his advisors. I also enjoyed the social commentary running throughout the novel, which questions whether Kings are the pillars of power that they are assumed to be, especially with all that Xishi has been able to achieve with simply her beauty as the means. Fanli is a perfectly mediocre love interest and character, although he never felt naturally aligned with the story. He always felt like an accessory in addition to Xishi, rather than a prominent player within the game. I would have enjoyed more development in his character, and a deeper involvement in the second half of the novel, as he felt quite one dimensional throughout.
Liang’s historical debut is an exploration of womanhood, beauty, war and love against all odds. She weaves a tapestry of tragedy and hope into an existing lore, and with it questions who power should truly lie with, and what they would do to attain it wholly.
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