The Kingdom Of Back - Marie Lu

The Kingdom Of Back by Marie Lu mixes fact and fiction about the life of the musical Mozart family. We see the world through Wolfgang Mozart’s forgotten sister, Nannerl, as she deals with the expectations of women in the 1800s patriarchal society. Marie Lu's retelling of the Mozart family is completed with incredible accuracy and details, but allows herself to creatively play within the imaginary fairy tales imagined by the real Nannerl and Wolfgang in their childhood. 

"Music is music. The source of it does not matter so much."

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Within the book, the author highlights sibling's relationships. Nannerl is caring towards her brother and Wolfgang admires his sister's talent and demeanor. Their relationship is heartwarming as both want the best for each other. Although, Nannerl struggles with watching her younger brother act and do as he pleases, while she must remain composed and "ladylike."

The Kingdom Of Back is what the siblings actually named their made-up world of stories, which Marie Lu brings to life in the most magical way. She structures a fantasy narrative within the factual portions of the Mozart’s life. Overall, it feels like a Wonderland or Neverland setting mixed with music history. And once the Kingdom begins melting into the real world, it becomes harder for Nannerl and Wolfgang to discern reality from fairytale. Especially once a strange boy, named Hyacinth, from the Kingdom begins taking interest in Nannerl and her dreams. Nannerl must decide if she trusts Hyacinth to make her dreams come true: continuing to play music and prove herself. Here, Nannerl is being faced with putting her loyalty in another man's hands and determining if she will let this man control her destiny. It's an interesting dynamic as Nannerl struggles with this both in the Kingdom, and the world around her.

Mainly, the book allows us to explore Nannerl Mozart's thoughts and emotions as The Kingdom Of Back reflects her mindset. This fairytale world gets darker when Nannerl’s emotions become more complicated and distressing. As time goes on, and Nanearl must deal with the frustration of seeing her brother grow to be a musical genius. Meanwhile, Nannerl must give up music by the time she reaches eighteen, since it would be “taboo” for a woman to receive payment for any creative activity. During this time, women could not be musicians or composers, so Nannerl suffers the loss of creative freedom, enjoyment, and expression as she ages. Instead, she must assume the life of what a woman was “supposed to be.” It’s frustrating and saddening to lose art, not out of choice, but having it ripped away from you because of societal standards. Unfortunately, Nannerl had a major love for music that did not outlive the male composers surrounding her. 

The one issue I have with this book is the "boss fight," (which I call it). The reveal feels thrown in and doesn't include any greater impact on the story or influence the information we have so far. I can't say more because...spoilers...but the conflict at this point felt rushed, especially for the antagonist --that has been developing throughout the entire book-- to be defeated so soon and by someone we barely know. Other than that one nit pick, I was fine with the plot and character choices.

Irrevocably, Marie Lu brings music to life in a magical and imaginative way that perfectly captures sound and what it feels like to compose music. Truly, this book embodies music through fantasy and whimsical elements, creating an ambient setting that made The Kingdom Of Back a cozy read. Plus, the writing style feels more middle grade than young adult.

The Kingdom Of Back captures the storytelling elements within music and the rhythm within writing, and encompasses both art forms so well. It felt like reading a long love letter to art. Although I wouldn’t describe it as “profound,” nor did it blow my mind, I loved how the author blended writing and music together. It’s extremely unique for focusing on a small piece of the Mozart children’s playtime stories. Marie Lu turns it into a symbol of Nannerl’s introspection, conflicts, as well as desires and heartache. All in all, it’s  not just a voice for Nannerl, but a story to remember the women in the past who couldn’t follow their dreams. I actually cried reading the author’s note and seeing her encouraging young artists, especially young girls, to feel confident about their art and hardwork.