A Mouthful of Dust
Nghi Vo
Chih goes into danger
A Mouthful of Dust is the sixth novella in Nghi Vo‘s Singing Hills Cycle. The premise of the series is that Chih, a cleric of the Singing Hills Monastery, wanders about the country, collecting stories to be taken back to Singing Hills and archived there. Typically Chih is not themselves in a lot of danger, because, even though the stories may involve violence and political strife, Chih is merely collecting them, often long after they take place, and not personally participating in them.
This presumption of safe neutrality doesn’t always hold. In fact, in the first five novellas there are at least two (When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and The Brides of High Hill) in which Chih found themselves in personal danger. Now, with A Mouthful of Dust that number rises to three, so half of the six novellas to date. This is, I think, not unrealistic. Truth is seldom neutral or safe. Any newly revealed truth is likely to be to the advantage of some and disadvantage of others. When it is not in the best interest of people in power that the truth become known, a person who threatens to reveal it is likely to be in danger.
A Mouthful of Dust, however, is the first novella in which Chih sets out knowingly on a mission known in advance to be dangerous. In fact, before they left Singing Hills they were told
Chih’s only job became to stay alive until a representative arrived.
“Yes, even at the cost of your work,” Cleric Thien had said. “Remember that your mind and your body are records as well, unique and irreplaceable. You can always write more, and you will if you just remember that.”
So Chih sets out to the town of Baolin. Eighteen years ago a famine demon alighted in Baolin. The ensuing terrible famine lasted three years. Chih has read the accounts of many famines in the archives of Singing Hills. They know that people are not their best selves during a famine, and that many crimes are committed in order to survive. In fact, no one wants to talk openly about the famine. Chih is invited to stay with the local magistrate. It’s an offer that can’t be refused. Chih is put up in a room that is to all intents a prison cell, and a guard is set on them. They are, however, allowed to interview people of the residence.
A through-line of the Singing Hills Cycle (and, indeed, of Vo‘s work in general) is an interest in the craft of story-telling. This story is told to Chih through the mouths of hostile and guarded sources. It is squeezed out of the story-tellers by indirection. I enjoyed it, although I am not sure I entirely understood it.
I have read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them. I will take this as a reminder to go request the third book from the library!
Intriguing storytelling, especially with being held under such strict conditions while being allowed to interview people at the residence. And that’s very true that sometimes some folks do not want for certain truths to be revealed. ⚖️
Thank you for sharing this review with us! 🙏💯