A Song To Drown Rivers
by Ann Liang
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted September 23, 2024
Buy from Bookshop or Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. It will publish on October 1.
Ann Liang was born in Beijing, currently living in Melbourne, Australia, where she studied at the University of Melbourne. A Song to Drown Rivers is her first adult novel, the previous three books being YA. In the Acknowledgments she says she wrote it during the summer when she was twenty-one, right out of college, but I don't know how long it took to complete, edit, and get published. She already has two more books scheduled for next year, but I haven't checked to see if they are YA or adult, nor whether they are fantasy or contemporary fiction. I've seen ASTDR described as epic fantasy, although I would not use that term, and until the last few pages I wouldn't have classified it as fantasy. It is based on Chinese history, and probably also myths, but I only searched briefly for info on the characters, and where and when the story is set. That would be the Spring and Autumn period, approximately 770-476 BC. I stopped reading the wikipedia page at that point, not wanting to know what history said about the events, since I suspected some things would be altered, or if not I didn't want the story spoiled. The major histories of the period were not written until years later, and that is where myth may have overshadowed real events.
Xishi is considered one of the Four Great Beauties of Chinese history. She was born in a small village in the Kingdom of Yue (modern day Zhejiang province). Yue had recently warred with the neighboring Wu Kingdom (now Jiangsu province), a war they lost, with Yue's King Goujian surrendering to Wu's King Fuchai. Xishi's family was poor, her father a farmer, she and her mother doing whatever they could to earn a little extra. One of Xishi's jobs was washing the clothes of wealthier families. Her beauty was said to have mesmerized the fish in the river where she did the washing, although that part might be myth, since her mother always forbid her to leave the house without a veil, thinking her beauty would lead to trouble. That turned out to be true. One day she encountered a young girl running away from a Wu soldier, but before she could do anything to defend the girl, another man entered the fray. Fanli was military advisor to Goujian, but little did he know that Xishi was the one he was there to find, which he learned the next day. Goujian and Fanli had formulated a plan to avenge their loss to Wu. Xishi was needed to pose as a peace offering to King Fuchai, to be one of his concubines, but she would work as a spy. It took several weeks of training at the remote Riversong Cottage, for both Xishi and her chosen handmaiden, Zhengdan, to prepare for their royal life. Fanli oversaw that training, but when it was time for their presentation to Fuchai, Fanli did not accompany them.
I continually expected some magic or other fantasy element would present itself, but as I said above, nothing of that nature came up until the final chapters. Xishi had been instructed to be aloof, to create a tension of anticipation with Fuchai. They were assigned rooms far from the king, and days went by without contact with anyone other than maids. I won't reveal why that was, except to hint that there are always rivalries within any group, whether that be a royal household, political advisors, or the military. Once Xishi and Fuchai started having more time together, she surprised herself with the sympathy she felt for him, but still hating him for the death of her younger sister during the war. Fuchai was not what she expected, not acting the high and mighty royal. He never wanted to be king, it fell to him after the death of his father, King Helü. His advisors always compared him negatively to his father, whom he loved but also resented. Two years pass, with Xishi and Zhengdan taking every opportunity to assess Wu's military readiness, and any weaknesses. Fuchai was fascinated with Xishi, spending more time with her than any other concubine, granting nearly every wish, which Xishi used to manipulate him to pave the way for a Yue invasion.
Written in first person, Xishi weaves a spell of her perceptions of life, her anticipation of helping to overthrow Wu, even though her shy reservations hindered that at times. Unlike other great beauties who flaunted their appearance to gain favor, she had not wanted her beauty to be her only advantage. She could read and write, which helped greatly in her training. She had to learn courtly manners, but also music and poetry, history and philosophy. The descriptions of the landscapes she moves through are beautiful and awe-inspiring, but always tempered by the knowledge of how fragile life was in the wake of kings and armies. At one point she says, "So long as we continue to put mortal men on thrones and hail them as gods, sacrifice our lives to their legacies, history will repeat itself." That applied to both men and women of lowly stature, the servants and guards, and the soldiers, most of whom were only serving because otherwise they would be working even harder, if they could find work, living hand to mouth. But for women in particular, Xishi became a symbol and inspiration for what might be, if ever given a chance. "How many women throughout history were blamed for the weaknesses of men? We made such convenient scapegoats. We were raised to be small, to be silent, to take whatever we were given and no more."
I plan to read more about Xishi and the Spring and Autumn period, to see if what is depicted in this novel is mostly true, or what might be fiction. I also want to read more of Liang's work, but I'm not sure when that will be. There is one relationship I suspect to be fictional, or perhaps one-sided, with Xishi enamored with someone, without the other reciprocating. It doesn't matter what is true and what Liang may have fabricated. It is a beautifully told story either way, one I highly recommend.
We would appreciate your support for this site with your purchases from Amazon.com, Bookshop.org, and ReAnimusPress.
