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silky_octopus's review
4.0
I liked this much more than I expected to; the various Crow spin-off novels have been a bit hit and miss for me, in part because I have such strong feelings for the original comic. In this case, the author managed to mix in a lot of symbology related to existing in different worlds and being torn between them that I really liked, and this book felt as much like an exploration of the spiritual and supernatural as it did a story about love and revenge. I liked the juxtaposition of the different narrators against the chaotic backdrop of Bangkok, pulling together people of different social classes, backgrounds, beliefs and outlooks and somehow making it all work. I can't say I was entirely comfortable with the fairly brutal depictions of the sex trade, but I appreciated that - in some ways, the antagonist became even more horrific because of how banal he made much of the sex trade seem, and depicting him as being in some ways as much an avatar of a primordial force as Stephen and the Crow made him feel like a chillingly evil force beyond generic thuggery - or even "simple" murder.
My favourite narrator was actually Linda Dusit, Stephen's aunt; for all that she was placed in the position of being an observer for much of the novel, I found her acceptance of the spiritual and mythological aspects of what was happening to be a great contrast to the way most characters in the Crow novels refuse to accept what was happening around them. Plus, it's great to have a central character who's an elderly Thai-American female shaman who's accorded considerable respect by those she meets. I know I was asked to accept that Stephen and Dao were in love at first sight, but given the mythology the story was working with and the extensive commentary on Buddhism, the idea of Stephen and Dao being reincarnated repeatedly made it feel more plausible than it would in a more Western-centric novel. Definitely one of the best secondhand book purchases I've made in a while!
My favourite narrator was actually Linda Dusit, Stephen's aunt; for all that she was placed in the position of being an observer for much of the novel, I found her acceptance of the spiritual and mythological aspects of what was happening to be a great contrast to the way most characters in the Crow novels refuse to accept what was happening around them. Plus, it's great to have a central character who's an elderly Thai-American female shaman who's accorded considerable respect by those she meets. I know I was asked to accept that Stephen and Dao were in love at first sight, but given the mythology the story was working with and the extensive commentary on Buddhism, the idea of Stephen and Dao being reincarnated repeatedly made it feel more plausible than it would in a more Western-centric novel. Definitely one of the best secondhand book purchases I've made in a while!
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