Siren Queen is a Mysterious Exploration of Race, Sexuality, and Cinema
I was provided an ARC of this book from BookishFirst. When I read the first sample chapters, I really admired the way the author used supernatural/magical terms to explore everyday things and common occurrences (e.g. selling "medicine" was "selling slivers of immortality".) And, for almost the entirety of the book, it was hard discern if the narrator intended these as a flower description, or a literal way of describing the magic in these books. Such as when she describes the studio heads at selling their souls to eldritch beings in order to have the success they enjoy; were they literally creating faustian compacts or is that merely a way of describing the sacrifices they made climbing to the top? Even the more overtly magical beings such as skogsrå or the robotic wolves that stood guard at the studio could have easily been particularly fanciful descriptions or a way to add extra mystery to the characters and setting. While part of me really wanted the author to just outright tell me whether or not this magic was real, I began to relish this ambiguity. Above all, the uncertainty of the narration is perhaps the biggest reason I enjoyed this book.
Beyond that, the story itself was a very interesting take on the interwar period of cinema. Additionally, the exploration of queer identity (mostly just from the lesbian perspective, but also hints of bisexuality) in the 30's was also unique; coupled with the exploration of racial identity and how those intersect in a pre-Civil Rights era. The lead character does not want to be typecast into a stereotypical Asian role like her predecessors, but at one point feels shame for this decision. Not shame from the predominately white male directors and producers, but from an actress of color who gained her stardom playing roles that the narrator saw as beneath her. Similarly, the narrator gains success from being a monster; while she cannot be a leading lady seemingly due to her race, she instead embodies the Other and becomes famous. (If this were 10 years ago, I would have loved to write my capstone thesis on that particular nugget. )
I do feel the end of the book is quite rushed. Throughout the book, the author refers to a person who we assume is her partner, but we don't really meet her until the final pages. I would have love more development there, since the narrator mentions the conversations with this character all throughout the story. The love triangle towards the end also seems a bit shoehorned in, mostly due to the speed in which it has to develop. And this reunion with the sister fell very flat for me; with little reason for it to be there and no significant development from scene, I think the author could have found a better use for those pages. But, even with the pacing issues at the end of the novel, this book still gets a solid 4 stars from me.
Beyond that, the story itself was a very interesting take on the interwar period of cinema. Additionally, the exploration of queer identity (mostly just from the lesbian perspective, but also hints of bisexuality) in the 30's was also unique; coupled with the exploration of racial identity and how those intersect in a pre-Civil Rights era. The lead character does not want to be typecast into a stereotypical Asian role like her predecessors, but at one point feels shame for this decision. Not shame from the predominately white male directors and producers, but from an actress of color who gained her stardom playing roles that the narrator saw as beneath her. Similarly, the narrator gains success from being a monster; while she cannot be a leading lady seemingly due to her race, she instead embodies the Other and becomes famous. (If this were 10 years ago, I would have loved to write my capstone thesis on that particular nugget. )
I do feel the end of the book is quite rushed. Throughout the book, the author refers to a person who we assume is her partner, but we don't really meet her until the final pages. I would have love more development there, since the narrator mentions the conversations with this character all throughout the story. The love triangle towards the end also seems a bit shoehorned in, mostly due to the speed in which it has to develop. And this reunion with the sister fell very flat for me; with little reason for it to be there and no significant development from scene, I think the author could have found a better use for those pages. But, even with the pacing issues at the end of the novel, this book still gets a solid 4 stars from me.