Book Review: “These Violent Delights” by Chloe Gong
These Violent Delights
Chloe Gong
A Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1926 Shanghai, with rival gangs trying to keep to tradition while the city changes around them. Juliette Cai, heiress to the Scarlet Gang, returns to Shanghai from America, ready to solidify her position. But returning also means having to see Roma Montagov, heir to the White Flowers, the Scarlet’s rivals, and the man who broke Juliette’s heart. Juliette really would do anything to keep away from Roma, but when a strange madness breaks out, attacking members of both gangs, it becomes apparent only Juliette and Roma care enough to get to the bottom of it.
You know when you read something that seems like a stock phrase, then come across a book that completely makes you think of that stock phrase? That’s kind of how I feel about this book and “full of intrigue”. It really is, with politics wound around the events, the struggles between the different sections of the city giving a backdrop to the strange monster emerging from the river.
Gong does an absolutely brilliant job with the setting, really getting the reader to the heart of 1920s Shanghai. It becomes a character in itself, as the French and British bicker over land, ignoring the way they’re encroaching on a place where people are already living, and as the Communists work on enlisting the factory workers, encouraging them to seek better for themselves. All the fighting over the city plays a key role, and Gong uses them carefully, skilfully painting a picture then drawing you away from it, distracting you with something else until it’s relevant again.
I like how Chloe Gong kind of plays around with these relationships, tilting them this way and that, putting additional pressure on both Juliette and Roma in the form of their friends and family. Both heirs find themselves pushing forward on their own path, as their rivals within their respective gangs make their own inroads and take over some of their duties. There are also the tensions within the gangs themselves, with people vying for power as others outside try to court either the Scarlets or the White Flowers.
This isn’t a straight retelling, either – aside from the change of location, These Violent Delights feels like it takes inspiration from multiple star-crossed lovers narratives, blending them together. It has echoes of Noughts and Crosses, especially the way the two characters drift apart and come back together. There’s also the sense of another R+J retelling – West Side Story, though Juliette kicks more arse than poor Maria ever could. It’s in Juliette the main difference lies; she isn’t passive, she doesn’t simply go where the men around her dictate she needs to go, and she doesn’t get swept up in her romance with Roma. Instead, she pushes back, pushes forward, and doesn’t let anyone – lest of all Roma – stand in her way.
This is an absolutely great novel, and I really look forward to reading the sequel, Our Violent Ends. I will admit, some parts of it did drag a little, and there were a couple of times things got a bit too repetitive, but overall it’s still a solid read, especially if you’re looking for a darker version of Shakespeare’s classic, and if you’re looking to introduce your teen to R+J or they’re studying it in school, this actually works well for an alternative way to look at the themes and ideas behind Romeo and Juliet.
Get your copy here: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop UK
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter & Instagram: @elleturpitt
I purchased this book.
