She Who Became the Sun

She Who Became the Sun
Shelley Parker-Chan, 2021

Premise: As a child, Zhu was told her fate was nothing, while her brother's fate was greatness. When circumstances give her the chance to change that, she steps onto a path that leads to the future.

I read this book to take a break from reading older books that had been on my bookshelf forever; I wanted to sort of recalibrate my brain with something current. And this was a great choice. 

This is based loosely on the life of the Hongwu Emperor in the 14th century. We assume that he was not, in historical fact, AFAB, but Zhu is, and she struggles throughout the book with the tension of this secret. Zhu assumes that if anyone discovers that she "stole" her brother's identity, that she will not achieve the greatness she burns for.  

And she does burn. (Side note: I waffled briefly between using "she" or "they" for Zhu, as she feels somewhat beyond gender by the end, but the narration uses "she" so I stuck with that.)

Zhu becomes a monk, and then a warrior, and then a leader. But this book makes no pretenses (and Zhu herself looks mostly clear-eyed on the topic) about the fact that achieving power will require death and betrayal. We're with her, we feel her desperate need to first survive, and then to rise. But the further she goes, the less moral her victories will be. 

On a macro level, this is also the story of a war between the Mongol empire and the rebels looking to establish a new dynasty. On the Mongol side, we follow the eunuch general Ouyang, who is a complex and tragic character. He cares deeply for the Mongolian prince Esen, but he has risen to his current level of power only in the service of his lifelong drive for revenge, and for that revenge, he is willing to sacrifice anything. 

There is also a supernatural element to the story, as the power to rule manifests as a literal light and certain characters can see actual ghosts. Zhu can feel a resonance between herself and Ouyang, their fates and destinies intertwined. Both of them are driving toward and drawn by their fates and both do terrible things.

This was a gorgeous, complex story with a gripping plot and intense characters. It isn't a feel-good story, but it was deeply satisfying all the same.

4 Stars - A Very Good Book