A review by totsfions
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a masterful work of storytelling. It's a book fascinated with the historical record, asking what we pass down and what we do not, and why. What responsibility do we have to preserve history, and how do we tell it? What is a matter of record? Who do we make vulnerable when we chose to preserve? What makes this book so compelling, is that the story is not concerned with objective history, as it is the point of view of it's characters. The act of making history is personal. The book becomes a captivating blend of the oral and the written, a reflection on what is seen on the surface and what is revealed through depths of knowledge unavailable to fresh eyes. The rich and vibrant world Vo has created is the perfect vehicle for this line of inquiry, unparalleled in it's creativity and intrigue. I came away from this book feeling at once satiated by the experience and salivating for the answers to it's queries. A wholly worth while read. 
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