Bound

by Donna Jo Napoli

Young Xing Xing is bound. Bound to her late father's second wife and daughter. Bound to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where a woman is valued less than livestock. Bound to be alone, with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, and to dream of a life unbound by the laws of family and society. But all of this is about to change as Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family's money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams for the future.

I've been a fan of Napoli's unique retellings, from Zel, a take on Rapunzel, to Sirena, a vivid depiction of Aesop's fabled sirens. While visual and marked by Napoli's signature historical viewpoint, Bound fell a little short for me.

In general, I liked the book. It was a quick read and gave a very interesting peek into the world of foot binding. Xing-Xing's stepmother had that perfect combination of ignorance and conniving, while Wei Ping brought something new to the role of ugly stepsister in the form of innocence that endeared her to me in a small way, despite myself. I enjoyed the poetry throughout the book and felt it enhanced the cultural setting.

There were several quite grisly scenes, also characteristic of Napoli's style, which always remind me of the origins of these Grimm tales. I did enjoy the read, but Bound doesn't warrant a repeat for me.