Though I guess what I mean by her softer side being portrayed is that during that scene Zhu shows some of her vulnerabilities too. You also make a great point that the whole time, Zhu takes charge. Nils: Excellent points my friend! You’re absolutely right, the sex between Zhu and Ma was as graphic and raw as any scene Abercrombie or even Fonda Lee would write, it is pure passion and lust and for that I did appreciate it. It very much felt like a moment of control, like even in this Zhu is in control? And another thing you say her desire for companionship draws out her softer side, but this moment didn’t feel very soft. I liked that instead, we get the kind of graphic, behind-closed-doors realism you’d get from a hetero sex scene by someone like Abercrombie. I’m aware my reading needs to be much more diverse, but it seems to me sapphic love scenes are always quite soft, feminine, for one of the party it’s almost always a self-discovery moment. Zhu’s desire for ‘greatness’ turns her into a killer, yet her desire for companionship draws out her softer side.Īre we going to talk about the sex scene Beth?īeth: I totally think we should discuss it! This was the first sapphic sex scene I’ve encountered like this, and although it came as a surprise, I had to applaud Parker-Chan for the rep. Nils: Chan explores desire in many forms, and shows how they all have different consequences. Zhu, Ouyang, Ma… they each have different desires but what did you make of their reactions to them? We’ve covered a lot of the big themes of the book over the last weeks, but one that really makes its presence known in this part is desire.

You can find more responses to our discussion, and join in yourself, on our Google doc Week 4: Ch. We do discuss plot points, character motivations, and twists – if you have not read the book and do not want it spoiled, please do not read further! SPOILERS AHEAD: This post is a book-club style discussion of the novel, rather than a review to tempt new readers in. You can find the discussion across our socials: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and on our Discord server. Thank you so much to everyone who joined our readalong and made it such a succes! We’ve loved being able to discuss Shelley Parker-Chan’s incredible debut with you all. Welcome to the last week of our Readalong!

She who became the sun zhu