The Phoenix Crown: A Novel

“Alice had known that in her bones since that day five years ago, when the earth shrugged its shoulders and a city cracked in half.”

The authors of The Phoenix Crown describe the 1906 earthquake using anthropomorphism. The earth, specifically its fault line under San Francisco, moves like a human. Shrugging is a small motion, which draws attention to the fact that a small tectonic movement, just a shrug, can destroy many human lives.

“Her voice fell into the room like sunshine, warm and full.”

This description of Gemma’s singing when meeting Alice for the first time establishes the importance of art in this novel as a source of healing and inspiration. The authors use a simile to compare the sound of her voice with the visual and tactile sensation of sunlight. Gemma is relieved she can still sing in this warm and beautiful way after losing all her money and not rehearsing for a while.

“The hallway was quiet and smelled of sandalwood and roses from the special incense Madam Ning used, the only kind she bought. Nothing but the best for Bai Meishen, the patron deity of prostitutes.”

This is Suling’s sensory experience of visiting the brothel that her mother’s friend runs. Ning appeals to a deity where she conducts her business, illustrating the centrality of work in her life. After Ning is killed, and Suling moves away from San Francisco, the scent of this “rose and sandalwood-infused incense” (314) in a shop makes her homesick.