It’s been weeks since I have finished this book, but I still think about it every day. Once I picked up this book, real-world responsibilities ceased to exist. I was caught between needing to devour each chapter while also never wanting the story to end. These Violent Delights
Synopsis
A Romeo and Juliet retelling, These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
The two heirs may be brought together by a common cause to find and destroy the monster, but that doesn’t mean they like it. The two were once childhood-friends-turned-lovers, but in a major act of betrayal, the two are now sworn to destroy one another.
Review
Seeing as the book is
The representation is everything you could have asked for, from LGBT+ characters front and center, nearly all Asian protagonists, to women so incredibly powerful and entirely underestimated. As someone who is frequently one-marginalization-too-many to be taken seriously, the representation made me feel seen in more ways than one. These women specifically had time and time again proven their value, and although their efforts and sacrifices are never acknowledged as much as they should be, Kathleen, Rosalind, and Juliette, never stop fighting for their spot in important rooms. Juliette often grapples with her identity as a woman and her identity as the heir to the Scarlet Gang, as if the two must be mutually exclusive. The feeling of compromising femininity in order to be taken seriously is one that I, and undoubtedly any non-cis male, understand just a bit too much.
Gong also touches on important topics from Western Influence and its impact on cultural traditions, the homophobia and transphobia of the time, and, most notably, the effects of imperialism. Gong does not back down from highlighting how the city—and really the whole country—is in turmoil solely because of colonizers. Those who are driven by greed and power while hiding behind the false intent to expand business opportunities by bringing in military weapons and overrunning the lives of natives. The effects of the self-imposed settlers are visible both outright and behind the shadows in forced business deals, changing Chinese names to Western ones, and avoiding even the slight possibility of insulting a Westerner at any cost necessary. These insights into the political status of the Eastern world in the 20s only add to the importance of the heirs’ mission and easily allow readers to become fully immersed in the time period.
Overall, the novel has everything you could ever want: morally righteous characters placed in ever compromising positions, angst on every page, subtle Taylor Swift references, political commentary that is easily accessible, forced proximity, and complex personalities. And with a cover like that, a spot on your bookshelf is the least this novel deserves.
The sequel, Our Violent Ends, comes out Nov 16, 2021, available wherever you buy books.
