ŷ������

“You will never remember the great if you do not remember the small.��

But who’s to tell what is great and what is small? The tempting part is to assign the greatness to those in power, those accidentally born under a lucky star, in a world of privilege by birth, or those that are uncompromising and ruthless enough to either hold on to the power or wrestle it from the others. By this definition, everyone and everything else is the small, meant to be left at the sidelines of history, meant to provide loyalty and support and service �� and, of course, unquestioning sacrifice to the greats.

And that’s the way of the world and yet heartbreaking.

“Being close to her was like being warmed by a bonfire, and I had been cold for a long time.��

This wonderful, slow yet tight novella is about those in power and those who are “the small�� �� but on two very different levels. An exiled Empress In-yo who comes from the land of the subdued enemy to the empire, thrown out into glorified prison of exile after providing an heir and thus fulfilling her intended purpose —but far from being an invisible member of the “silenced and nameless women�� she orchestrates a spectacular and elegant power grab, showing cunning and forethought and appropriate for future admired ruler determined ruthlessness. And the teller of her story, a servant woman nicknamed Rabbit who’s supposedly invisible and inconsequential not only because she’s a woman but also because she’s a social zero, being of peasant stock. While In-yo rises to power, Rabbit is there to support and love �� and faithfully serve. Because in every admirable story of rise to power there is a story of quiet suffering and sacrifice. Because every dashing throne grab of the great is built on the foundations of labor and sacrifice of the small.

“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves. I am not worried for her in the least.��

And it reminds me yet again that those “silent and nameless�� ones in their rise to power often have to trample and use other “silent and nameless�� ones, and yet we can’t help but love and admire them in a very human and heartbreaking way because they triumph where we wish we could, destroy the chains we want gone, and orchestrate rise and fall of empires despite having been dismissed as nothing, not a threat. It’s not a story of hero worship but a story of loving and caring despite the pain, for reasons that may or may not make sense �� but truth, while it may hurt, needs to be told. Because fairness and justice and revenge are only possible to a point, and tend to be more of the prerogative of the supposed “greats��.

Empires aren’t fair or just, and that leaves so much bittersweet aftertaste.

“This information could tarnish her memory beyond repair, unseat everything that she spent her life working for. And you are telling it to me, painful as it is for you. Why?��

“In-yo is gone now. So are Phuong, my parents, and Sukai. My allegiance lies with the dead, and no matter what the clerics say, the dead care for very little.��

—�Ĕ���

This novella is a perfect example of how to create an engaging story and a wonderfully developed world in a short compact space. The worldbuilding is exquisite, and every small detail is important, adding to the rich complexity and creating a book that is a quiet pleasure to experience. It’s very quiet and subdued and delicate and yet in that lies its strength. The pacing is pitch-perfect, and the language is beautiful, evocative and yet not artificially ornamental. And, unlike many of the recent stories that explore similar themes, this one has enough subtlety to be quite satisfying. What is said and what is left unsaid seems equally important, and that’s a real skill to do right.

We are thrown into this world with little hand-holding, but to a careful reader that’s not an obstacle. Just roll with it for a few pages, and the world will reveal itself. But you must read it carefully �� when I dozed off reading it before bed after a long hard day, I realized I have to read it again from the beginning, really paying attention �� and it paid off, showing the power of memory and the power of myths we build.

It’s a wonderful story, a great example of a novella done just right.

4.5 stars.

“It is trash, and where I come from, we burn trash.��
Rabbit looked startled, and then she nodded.
“Yes. We do that here as well.��

—�Ĕ�Ĕ—�Ĕ�Ĕ��
Hugo Award winner for best novella. It deserved the win.

—�Ĕ�Ĕ—�Ĕ�Ĕ��

My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2021: /review/show...