Book Review: King of Sloth
This book-buying ban is tough. King of Envy comes out soon, and I can’t do a dang thing about it for another few months, and I’m even madder about it because I really enjoyed this book. I have always loved Ana Huang's books. If it is your first time here, then you don’t need to go through all the reviews I’ve ever written, where all I do is gush about her writing. If you’re not new here, I will not go through all the reviews I’ve ever written where all I do is gush about her writing.
But to the story, Sloane Kensington is the Queen of PR, putting out fires and handling her less-than-mature clients. One of whom just so happens to be the playboy heir to a billion dollar fortune: Xavier Castillo. He is the epitome of “Spoiled little rich kid”, and he gives Sloane more headaches than you and I have hot dinners in a year. However, Xavier’s father is dying, and they do not get along, but a surprise in the will changes everything, and Xavier is a sloth no longer.
There are several things I love about this book - I am always a sucker for a ‘he falls first’ trope and I love it even more when you get a glimpse into his POV. Well-written male characters are hard to come by; they are more common in literary fiction rather than ‘spicy’ fiction, and by that, I immediately think of Connell from ‘Normal People’ or Werner in ‘All the Light We Cannot See’. But Xavier is much more than the slightly morally grey man that usually graces the pages of Ana Huang's novels. True, he has money and an already-established family name that carries a lot of weight. But he is astute enough to realise that without all of it- money and family name - there isn't much to him, and he needs to figure it out all on his own. Effectively, the generational wealth of his family is a very nice cushion and a shield from the harsher aspects of reality. I quite like the overall message here - you never know your full potential until you try. You also have time to find your passions, and it's perfectly okay for you to take the time to figure it all out. Life is a marathon, not a 100-meter race.
If we think about Sloane for a moment, she has a terrible relationship with her family. One of the lessons we learn from her is that you do not have to forgive people to move on. You can still be angry at them, but the most important part is to not let that anger have control over you and how you go about your life. Sloane is handed the ultimate betrayal but has proven to be the bigger and better person. Sometimes, the best revenge isn’t proving you’re right, moral or just - but sometimes, it's living your life as you wish and being happy.
Ana’s books are an excellent palate cleanser, especially after some of the more trying nonfiction books I read. I genuinely do enjoy them - sure, I cannot see her winning the Pulitzer anytime soon. But if BookTok continue to be the tour de force it is, Ana Huang will not stop writing anytime soon, nor should she!