The novel is quite transparently a tale of identity: shaping your own space in a world that does not want you, and making that shape yours despite what others think you should be.
They happen, but they are dwarfed by moments of character and introspection. Like Tolkien, Parker-Chan is not concerned with the grand battles and heroic moments. Do not, however, expect the grand action set pieces in the beloved Disney classic. Neither are right, neither are particularly good or bad people either, but their flaws are what make them interesting, and human.įor all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.įor those familiar with Mulan (1998), She Who Became The Sun follows similar beats, albeit more nuanced, evolved, and far darker. Throughout the book, Chongba and Ouyang act as narrative foils for one another, asking similar questions but reaching wildly different answers because of the different eyes through which they see the universe. Born Chinese, but raised by the occupying Mongol nobles, Ouyang's tale is one of grappling with identity, with insecurities, and shaping one's sense of self against the preconceived notions of those around them. The second tale is that of the eunuch general Ouyang, the very general who burns Chongba's monastery to the ground. But when the monastery is razed by the occupying Mongol armies, she realises there is no safety in hiding, and embarks on a path to seize her brothers' destiny too. When bandits kill her family, she dons her brothers' name, Zhu Chongba, and joins a monastery to survive, hiding from the powers above. The first is the tale of a peasant girl whose destiny is ordained to be nothing, while that of her brothers is to be great. It follows two tales inextricably connected. The novel is set in a vaguely fictional 1300s' China, as a reimagining of the rise of the Ming Dynasty.
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