Sunbirth - bookrastinating.com

Paperback, 320 pages

English language

Published July 15, 2025 by Penguin Random House.

ISBN:: 978-1-78730-498-7

In Five Poems Lake, a small village surrounded by impenetrable deserts, the sun is slowly disappearing overhead. A young woman keeps an apprehensive eye on the sky above as she tends her family’s pharmacy of traditional medicine. She has few customers, and even fewer visitors. Her father was found dead by the lake twelve years ago, in unexplained circumstances. Her elder sister, Dong Ji, works at a wellness parlour across town for those who can afford it – which, during these strange and difficult days, is not many.

The town fell on hard times long before the sun began to shrink, but now, every few days, a new sliver disappears. As the temperature drops and the lake freezes over, the inhabitants of the town realise that there is no way they can survive. But when the Beacons appear – ordinary people with heads replaced by searing, blinding light, like …

In Five Poems Lake, a small village surrounded by impenetrable deserts, the sun is slowly disappearing overhead. A young woman keeps an apprehensive eye on the sky above as she tends her family’s pharmacy of traditional medicine. She has few customers, and even fewer visitors. Her father was found dead by the lake twelve years ago, in unexplained circumstances. Her elder sister, Dong Ji, works at a wellness parlour across town for those who can afford it – which, during these strange and difficult days, is not many.

The town fell on hard times long before the sun began to shrink, but now, every few days, a new sliver disappears. As the temperature drops and the lake freezes over, the inhabitants of the town realise that there is no way they can survive. But when the Beacons appear – ordinary people with heads replaced by searing, blinding light, like miniature suns – the residents wonder if they may hold the answer to their salvation, or if they are just another sign of impending ruin. Soon, Dong Ji and her sister will uncover a photograph which may offer a clue in the mystery of the Beacons, and finally help them learn what happened to their father.

Sunbirth honours the unique relationship between sisters, their love for each other and their desire to be free. Richly surreal and anchored by searching curiosity and wisdom, it asks how much we can ever know about the deepest mysteries of the world.

2 editions

Taylor Drew reviewed Sunbirth by An Yu

Makes you think

4 stars

I'm back again with another review from a book I got on NetGalley! This book kind of feels like a change in pace from what I've reviewed in the past. I think it may be the first one I've done this year that's SF? Either way, it was really interesting to change it up—even if I do read a lot of SF in my free time. Anyway.

This book is by an author named An Yu. She was born and raised in Beijing. I've never read her work before or and I hadn't heard of her before I requested this book, but I am really glad that I picked it up even though it wasn't my favourite thing. In a way, I think that I'll actually grow to like it more as I get further away from the reading experience. I'll admit that I like when that happens. Books …

I'm back again with another review from a book I got on NetGalley! This book kind of feels like a change in pace from what I've reviewed in the past. I think it may be the first one I've done this year that's SF? Either way, it was really interesting to change it up—even if I do read a lot of SF in my free time. Anyway.

This book is by an author named An Yu. She was born and raised in Beijing. I've never read her work before or and I hadn't heard of her before I requested this book, but I am really glad that I picked it up even though it wasn't my favourite thing. In a way, I think that I'll actually grow to like it more as I get further away from the reading experience. I'll admit that I like when that happens. Books that can be chewed on are great.

I said the book is SF, and it is, but I would also call it speculative literary fiction. There's not a lot of action or extensive character and plot development. My explanation may not be good, but I think that's the overall tone. In fact, I found myself reminded of I Who Have Never Known Men (with the help of a friend). It has a similar uncanny eeriness and an underlying mystery for you to think about as you move forward with the characters.

If you're looking for clear cut answers and world building that clearly establishes the rules of the setting, then this isn't the book for you. But if you're interested in a book that doesn't give you the answers and allows things to happen without necessarily giving a resolution or explanation, then I do think it's worth reading. Unlike that book though, Sunbirth has multiple characters and even shifts time and character perspective throughout the novel—something I absolutely love in fiction.

It was just so interesting reading about characters in an apocalyptic setting in a town that seems that it's disconnected from the whole world. Is there even a world outside of this town? What about the sun? Why is it disappearing and what's all this weird mysterious stuff that's going on? I'm not sure that any of those questions are answered, but that makes it all the more interesting to think about.

This may not have been my favourite book, but it is making me think and just writing this review has made me respect and appreciate it as a story all the more. I definitely want to read more from the author.