The Broken House

Ambition, revenge, and legacy drive the unlikable characters in La Farge’s meandering and overly crowded trilogy opener. In a decaying Despotate resembling early 20th-century Morocco, the Despot declares war on neighboring city-state Rhem because their lighthouse spoils his view of the stars. Incompetent Gen. Shandimus repeatedly retreats, poet Drytung and playwright Root chronicle the war to advance their literary careers, and teenage ’Nna flees her sadistic mother to become an army cook and prostitute. After Shandimus dismisses her, ’Nna is desperate to improve her social standing. When she gains notoriety as a saucier, she uses hallucinogenic herbs to influence her diners and plan her revenge. The story’s priorities are peculiar: four pages are spent describing all the plants in a garden, while the war with Rhem is skipped entirely. However, the relegation of women to menial roles (sex workers, slaves, trophy wives) is drearily familiar. La Farge (Zuntig) simply throws in too many ingredients—cooking, gardening, herbal magic, theater, Machiavellian politics, warfare—until the stew becomes a muddle. (June)