I have loved Nghi Vo’s Singing Hill Cycle novellas, but this was the first of her full-length novels I have read. Obviously, it won’t be my last. She has such a beautiful way with words, her stories are always an absolute joy to read. In Siren Queen, we are introduced to Luli- well, not Luli yet, but you’ll have to figure that out for yourself. Luli dreams- no, yearns- to be an actress, to be Old Hollywood royalty. And we know when we first meet her that Luli is nothing if not determined. She’s even willing at one point to trade 20 years of her life for stardom.
I don’t want to go too in depth with Luli’s escapades, for they’re kind of the bread and butter of the story, but suffice it to say that Luli will certainly experience all that 1930s Hollywood had to offer, for better or worse. As we obviously know, the groups of people who were treated terribly far outnumber those who were treated well (read: just the white guys), so life for a queer Chinese-American girl, even if she happens to be a star, isn’t going to be without its share of awfulness.
The men in high places in this story are presented as monsters- in some cases, literally. I didn’t fully grasp the magical system that was going on here, and wasn’t always sure what was meant in a literal manner versus a figurative one. But it’s a pretty subtle magic, so it didn’t really make much of a difference how I took it (as a logic-driven thinker, I took it to be a more figurative situation, but you do you).
While Luli deals with the constant fight to keep her career/self relevant, she is also having to figure out relationships. She does find various significant friendships, as well as romantic partners, during the book. But Luli is cold, make no mistake. She clearly has a hard time keeping people in her life, which is evidenced by her distant relationship with her family. Despite that, I could not help but root for Luli throughout. Her determination, and unwillingness to be used stereotypically by Hollywood’s upper echelon is admirable.
Really, my only other qualm with the story was its loose ends. Sure, certain parts were tied up, but I had a lot of questions at the end that were unanswered. Still, certainly a worthwhile read.
Bottom Line: A look into Old Hollywood via a complex character with absolutely stunning prose makes this another win for Nghi Vo.
I don’t want to go too in depth with Luli’s escapades, for they’re kind of the bread and butter of the story, but suffice it to say that Luli will certainly experience all that 1930s Hollywood had to offer, for better or worse. As we obviously know, the groups of people who were treated terribly far outnumber those who were treated well (read: just the white guys), so life for a queer Chinese-American girl, even if she happens to be a star, isn’t going to be without its share of awfulness.
The men in high places in this story are presented as monsters- in some cases, literally. I didn’t fully grasp the magical system that was going on here, and wasn’t always sure what was meant in a literal manner versus a figurative one. But it’s a pretty subtle magic, so it didn’t really make much of a difference how I took it (as a logic-driven thinker, I took it to be a more figurative situation, but you do you).
While Luli deals with the constant fight to keep her career/self relevant, she is also having to figure out relationships. She does find various significant friendships, as well as romantic partners, during the book. But Luli is cold, make no mistake. She clearly has a hard time keeping people in her life, which is evidenced by her distant relationship with her family. Despite that, I could not help but root for Luli throughout. Her determination, and unwillingness to be used stereotypically by Hollywood’s upper echelon is admirable.
Really, my only other qualm with the story was its loose ends. Sure, certain parts were tied up, but I had a lot of questions at the end that were unanswered. Still, certainly a worthwhile read.
Bottom Line: A look into Old Hollywood via a complex character with absolutely stunning prose makes this another win for Nghi Vo.