Title: A Red Silk Thread   

Author: Kenneth Kunkel

Genre: Historical Romance

 

When fourteen-year-old Huang Hua was gifted to the Chinese Imperial Court, she was happy to leave her small village behind. Ten years later, Hua, now a Princess and a member of the Han Dynasty, realizes she has swapped one life of oppression for another. Her marriage to Prince Qian is no more than fraternal, and Hua‘s days are spent behind the suffocating Imperial Palace walls.

When the Emperor decrees that Hua and Qian travel to Rome as envoys to establish a silk trade agreement, Hua is excited, eager to discover the world beyond the Palace’s confines, a world that will be fraught with peril and a dangerous attraction.

A Red Silk Thread is a sweeping novel, not only in geographical terms. Set between 10 and 9 BCE during Emperor Augustus’s reign, Kunkel artfully brings to life the two ancient realms of China and Rome and their rich, vividly contrasting cultures and histories.

In the early chapters, the story shifts between the two civilizations, with tangents for the main characters that are unrelated to the principal story. Kunkel is adept at immersing the reader in both. Although the story unfolds primarily from the close third-person perspectives of Hua and Alexander Severus, a Roman palace guard, it is Hua’s developing emotions and experiences that drive the narrative.

Naïve, vulnerable, but single-minded in her curiosity, and possessed of a ruthless streak and quick wit, Hua is depicted with depth and interest. Her trajectory, from a sheltered Princess navigating unfamiliar territory, both emotional and physical, to a self-aware young woman, is convincing and investable.

Alexander is a powerful yet enclosed figure, damaged by traumatic events in his personal life. A senator’s nephew, he is keenly aware of his responsibilities and expectations. Kunkel surprisingly gifts him an artist’s soul, making him a talented fresco painter, which, as events progress, provides a fundamental connection with Hua, a skilled sculptress.

Some wonderfully absorbing, set-piece scenes evoke the traditions of each society and vibrantly enhance the narrative with authenticity without overshadowing it. The chariot racing and the Feast of Saturnalia are standouts in the Roman arena, and Kunkel’s lavishly detailed attention to Hua’s intricate, colorful traditional dresses, ornamentation, and imperial customs is captivating.

The bones of the novel are relatively simple, chapters are kept short, and the pace is lively. In Chapter fifteen, Hua’s and Alexander’s worlds collide when she arrives in Rome, setting in motion a subtle yet unmistakable romantic attraction, delicately handled yet intriguing.

Nonetheless, A Red Silk Thread is not just concerned with the slow-burning relationship between Hua and Alexander. It’s also action-packed with energetically choreographed and swashbuckling fight scenes. Hua and Alexander are involved in a continued series of violent acts, separately and together.

Hua’s brutal clashes during the voyage to Rome and Alexander’s savage skirmishes bring defining moments for each character, but it’s Alexander’s steadfast protection of Hua against the Parthians that enables them to draw closer.

There is a compact cast around both protagonists, and the majority are as developed as they need to be, especially Qian, who is a dependable, likable figure. But Chyou, Hua’s handmaiden, could be seen as underdeveloped. Notwithstanding, Florina and Lucina, Alexander’s neighbors, who first appear tokenistic, become a strong, amusing pair who are integral to the novel’s later stages.

Some characters’ conversations could use more emotional substance or individuality. Alexander’s dialogue, in particular, is quite modern, slightly lacking in period inflections or quirks, which may not be every reader’s cup of tea.

A Red Silk Thread is solidly researched and engrossing. Kunkel has produced an ambitious novel that immerses readers in the worlds of Ancient Rome and China through a highly readable, enjoyable, and suspenseful historical romance.

 

 

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