A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage. Alone and sometimes reviled, she has only her servants on her side. This evocative debut chronicles her rise to power through the eyes of her handmaiden.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo is such a pleasant novella to lose yourself in. An old woman named Rabbit visits a young Cleric named Chih along with their animal companion, a talkative neixin hoopoe named Almost Brilliant. She has a connection to where Chih is staying currently. As they pick up different items, Rabbit shares with them vignettes of her life connected to each item. Of her growing romance with the empress. Of her time as a handmaiden.
The beauty in this novella lies in its simplicity. The prose is straightforward yet not without depth. Each chapter begins with a description of an item or items that Chih finds. Materials, color, design layout. Also within the prose are little quips of humor and snark from all three main characters: Chih, Almost Brilliant, and Rabbit. One of my favorite images is of a mammoth and lion.
Overall, this is a novella for anyone who likes a bit of romance, a bit of snark, and more all wrapped up in a stunning package. Because it’s told in a more vignette style (albeit in a larger context), it’s the type of work you could read a little bit each day to bring you some joy.
(We received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nhgi Vo was released on March 24, 2020.)
