One of my absolute favorite books of the year…
As you can tell from the title of my blog, I mostly read mysteries. But I do dabble a bit in other genres, and when the publisher offered me a review copy of Ann Liang’s A Song to Drown Rivers, it looked intriguing. So I grabbed it, and I am so so glad I did. Quite simply, I adored this book from start to finish.
A Song to Drown Rivers is so many things at once: a story of beauty, treachery, revenge, romance, hubris, evil, and love. And somehow, all of these emotions are woven together by Liang in a way that makes you, the reader, feel what the characters are feeling throughout the book. Which is, to me, the mark of a really great book. And although this level of immersion had me in tears for the last couple of chapters, everything seemed natural and fitting by the end. So don’t be afraid to read it, even if you think (like me) that you don’t like sad endings – you’ll be okay. But do read it – or at least the end of it – when you’re alone, and not while dining solo at a restaurant, like I did!
Per its blurb, A Song to Drown Rivers is based on a traditional Chinese legend, and Liang’s oh-so-elegant writing feels that way – sort of dreamy, like this really should be told orally, by a storyteller at a campfire. And although for me, the main impact of the book was emotional, when I look back at it a couple of days later, I realize there was also an almost perfect classical tale underpinning it all – something that would fit quite nicely (with only a tweak or two) into the mold of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
I wish I could give A Song to Drown Rivers more than five stars. But I can’t, even on my own blog (!!!), so all I can say is, just read it. And finally, my thanks to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy.
Buy (coming Oct 1) at: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Kobo US | Kobo UK | Kobo Canada