A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS by Ann Liang is the Good Morning America book club pick for October!
Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within. Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.
Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
“Based on the legend of Xishi, one of Ancient China’s Four Beauties, this first adult novel from YA author Liang (I HOPE THIS DOESN’T FIND YOU, 2024) is a poignant reflection on war and power from the perspective of a young woman upon whom the fate of two kingdoms rests… A tragic love story with epic stakes, this should be shared with readers of R. F. Kuang’s THE POPPY WAR (2018) and Shelley Parker-Chan’s SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN (2021).”—Booklist
Interested in picking this for your own book club? Check out this discussion guide!