#I need to see queerness performed. Queerness embraced. Queerness woven into the narrative

[onwhatcaptain]

Some days it just makes me unbearably sad that we will never really get spirk because Paramount thinks queerness is acceptable only in non-legacy or "unimportant" side characters because it wouldn't really damage their reputation. Which isn't really queerness at all if the leads can't have it.

[mediaeval-muse]

Book Review

A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland. Saga Press. 2019.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: fantasy

Part of a Series? Yes, A Conspiracy of Truths #2

Summary: Three years ago, Ylfing watched his master-Chant tear a nation apart with nothing but the words on his tongue. Now Ylfing is all alone in a new realm, brokenhearted and grieving—but a Chant in his own right, employed as a translator to a wealthy merchant of luxury goods, Sterre de Waeyer. But Ylfing has been struggling to come to terms with what his master did, with the audiences he’s been alienated from, and with the stories he can no longer trust himself to tell. That is, until Ylfing’s employer finds out what he is, what he does, and what he knows. At Sterre’s command, Ylfing begins telling stories once more, fanning the city into a mania for a few shipments of an exotic flower. The prices skyrocket, but when disaster looms, Ylfing must face what he has done and decide who he wants to be: a man who walks away and lets the city shatter, as his master did? Or will he embrace the power of story to save ten thousand lives?

***Full review under the cut.***

Trigger Warnings: honestly, none that I would consider obvious (other than maybe strong language)

Overview: I adored A Conspiracy of Truths, so of course, I was going to pick up A Choir of Lies as soon as I could. I was so engrossed that it only took me two days to read (I’m preparing for my dissertation defense, so that should tell you something), and I enjoyed every moment of the experience.

Writing: Alexandra Rowland remains one of the few authors that can write a story in first person POV and I’ll gobble it up. Something about the way both this book and A Conspiracy of Truths take up the subject of storytelling and are self consciously concerned about the construction of stories makes the first person more palatable to me - when first person is treated more as a window into a character’s inner thoughts, the narration feels unnatural to me. But with this book, our narrator, Ylfing, is claiming to be crafting a story and writing it down to be read, so of course it would feel constructed or performative. Because Rowland’s books are about just that, I think she uses first person to her advantage.

I also really like that Rowland knows how to balance action and emotion, what's happening in the story and what’s happening in the narrator’s mind. She strikes a good balance, and I always felt like I was getting equal parts plot development and character development as I read. The only criticism I have in this regard is that the pacing at the beginning was a bit slow - the main conflict of the novel doesn’t really start until 100 pages in, so most of the beginning is exposition and character setup.

Something different about A Choir of Lies is that it makes use of footnotes. A Conspiracy of Truths was self-consciously about oral storytelling, while this book is self-consciously about written storytelling. The footnotes, made by an initially mysterious reader of Ylfing’s account, introduced an interactive element to the way the story unfolded, reminded the real reader (us) that Ylfing is not unbiased, that stories are told through a particular lens that is not objective. I loved the two tones of the main account and the footnotes, which made me feel like I was reading two different voices.

Plot: The main plot of this book isn’t too complicated. Three years after A Conspiracy of Truths, Ylfing finds himself working for a merchant, hawking exotic flowers using his storytelling abilities to make them seem rare and special. Thanks to his efforts, the flowers are in such high demand that people start paying extravagant prices for them, and sell “future bulbs” which haven’t even sprout yet. As you may see, there’s a lot that can go wrong with this setup, and when economic disaster finally does strike, it’s not necessarily something that is unforeseen.

What makes the narrative engaging, however, is Ylfing’s personal development within and alongside this economic plot. The economic narrative is all about people using Ylfing, and how Ylfing is still trying to find his place in the world after being abandoned by his Master Chant. I really enjoyed the parallels between what Ylfing was uncovering about the flowers, his boss, and his social circle and what he was uncovering about himself and Chanting. There were also some nice musings on the power of stories and the human inclination to help one another selflessly, which were woven into the plot skillfully.

Characters: I loved Ylfing in the first book, and I continued to love him in this book. The poor boy is an extremely sensitive soul who is so earnest in everything he does, and I loved that he developed into someone who can reflect on his own actions and flaws. The first part of this book follows Ylfing through a major bout of depression, which caused me some concern since he was full of life and joy in the previous installment. His depression, however, is very understandable, and when he eventually returns to his old self (or close to his old self), I found the development quite satisfying.

Mistress Chant, our footnote-writer and major supporting character in the novel, was a great foil for Ylfing. Though she is a Chant, her opinions about Chanting are very different, and she pushes and challenges Ylfing on his ideas, refusing to let him wash his hands of his involvement in the economic crisis, even when he is depressed. Every time they interacted on the page, I was delighted by their quasi-philosophical conversations, and I loved that they simultaneously found companionship in one another and were constantly angry with the other’s outlook.

Most of the supporting characters were likewise well-developed in a way that made them feel unique and real. Sterre, Ylfing’s boss, is greedy in a subtle way, and Ylfing’s initial defense of her really highlights his naivete. Orfeo, Ylfing’s love interest, is charismatic and by all appearances a very tender, considerate lover. I loved the interactions between them, as Orfeo seemed to bring Ylfing the comfort and understanding he needed to find himself. I also appreciated that Rowland was able to write their relationship in a non-problematic way, creating drama without resorting to death or problematic behaviors.

Other: Rowland’s worldbuilding makes every location in her books feel like it has its own history and culture. Ylfing carefully describes to the reader how languages vary not just in terms of grammar, but in context; Spraacht, for example, has six grammatical genders, which matches the six genders in Heyrland society. Heyrland is also unique in its location by the water, and the extensive system of canals and dikes affect the way characters behave, how they speak, and how their trades develop. I love these little anchors that Rowland creates because it makes it seem like she put thought into how a society would function, rather than just cobbling together some names and calling it a day.

I also appreciated that Rowland writes LGBT+ and gender non-forming characters as commonplace in her world. There aren’t any locations (I don’t think) in which LGBT+ people are discriminated against - their existence, as well as queer marriages, are ubiquitous and not at all treated as something “different” or a “special case” in a world of normative relationships.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in fantasy (especially fantasy featuring an LGBT+ character), storytelling, economic plots, and characters finding themselves.