The Burning Woman – About the Poppy War series
The Poppy War series by R.F. Kuang is an Asian fantasy masterpiece in three acts.
The main character Fang Runin (Rin) is inspired by Mao Zedong and Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
What is there to say about the Poppy War trilogy that has not been said already?
I am not here to give you a review. Neither will I be able to explain all the historical references throughout. I will link other articles to do that for me.
I am here to tell you why this book touched me. Like intensely moved me in my core as a woman.
Rin is a main character in flames. She is an anti-hero, a leader that doesn´t want to lead but purely survive, fight and burn.
The anger. Rage. Frustration. Revenge. And Angst.
Those are the driving motives that make Rin survive all the hardships and repeatedly rise out of her ashes. During the plot, she finds a connection to the Gods in the Pantheon and becomes a Shaman. She allows the Phoenix to use her as a human channel. That´s how she gets to manipulate the fire as a weapon.
In some moments in the books, I felt like I would spit fire and burn the abusers myself, if I only could.
The amount of abuse, racism, and violence, even in the first few chapters, is unsettling. It makes it impossible to look away. Furthermore, the author Kuang manages to address sexual abuse and violence in war in an honest and raw way. In a blog article she says, “Silence hurts so much worse than discussing even horrible atrocities.”
Addressing trauma and talking about touchy topics can be relieving. It exemplifies understanding regarding others that have gone through traumatic pain.
It has also to do with the result of catharsis after a tragic story. You will hear me talking about Aristoteles catharsis a lot throughout my writing but the key aspect is: the emotional purification after an emotionally exhausting plot. A tragic story line takes us through the difficulties of fictional characters and leaves us with a relief and lesson after the show down.
Kuang manages to give her characters the right amount of human error and intoxicating hate and resentment. The tragedy is not the war itself but the effects of war. The never-ending terror and inevitability of violence is maddening.
That is why the Poppy War is not a love story. It is not a YA series either.
It is a War story with a female lead.
If I learned one thing from the series, it is: No one wins after war. The only thing that war results in is even more war.
As a reader you just want it to end. The pain. The blood baths. But it never does.
It makes it easier to understand why characters in the story as well as real war veterans suffer from substance abuse. Studies have shown that veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have an increased chance of using alcohol and drugs. This on the other hand worsen the PTSD symptoms. The vicious cycle of an escape through substances can be observed through Rin´s journey throughout the epos.
Moreover, her relationship to the Phoenix, the fire God, is crutial. The phoenix symbolizes fight, war, hate, revenge, and blood lust. He gives Rin the power to burn any place down she wants. The problem, however, is the worldly balance later. You can burn down, yes, but you also need to plant seeds for the new life to come. The destruction caused by pain and hatred turns out to be her downfall.
Furthermore, it is interesting that Fang Runin is inspired by Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Azula, is the daughter of the general of the Fire Nation. The fire nation tries to colonize the rest of the element nations (air, water and earth nations) to rule alone. Finally, she goes insane due to an ongoing war, the loss of friends and family and power lust.
The toxic overuse of fire without a balance with other elements to nourish a nation is a returning motive.
With Rin as fire and Nezha (her antagonist and friend in the series) as water there are only two opposing elements that show the duality of power. With an overuse of fire and the lack of the other elements, harmony is impossible to achieve.
So, what is the Poppy war series about?
It is about a young woman on fire. In a world full of fire and war her only choice was to either oblige or burn the world right down with her.
Her choice is an obvious one.
“I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.””
Feature image credit: Amber Ackerman
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A shout-out to my friend Tina that sent me the books. She is a true book addict. You can find her Instagram and blog here.
Read this article to find out more historical facts about the series: Everything You Need To Know Before You Read The Poppy War By R.F. Kuang.
Another great article is this interview with Rebecca F. Kuang: In The Poppy War Series, R.F. Kuang Asks: 'What If Mao Was A Teenage Girl?'
