Curate, connect, and discover
Phoebe Hong is probably my favourite character from FLF and FHH. She's so well written, like from the beginning we are told she's good at manipulating people and despite not being an operative she's damn good at it. But it's breadcrunbed throughout FLF. The best twists are the twists that are right under your nose and once you realise it, all the pieces suddenly fit together.
I specifically love how throughout the novel it's emphasised how she's not an operative. However that is a half truth, yes she's not an operative of the Nationalist party like Orion and Silas. No one said anything about the Communist party though. However it's expected that she's good at doing operative adjacent things because she's surrounded by operatives and has been for years.
Another aspect I love is her complicated relationship with her mother. She's so similar to her mother and I think that's why her mother spent so much time with her. Oliver and Orion were her legacy but Phoebe was hers. However how can she also love someone who used her older brothers.
ALSO Phoebe struggling with her identity is something I identify with (purely because of personal reasons) It's written in such a realistic way too. For years she was what people saw her as and nothing more, a frivolous teenager, a highly trained operative, a loving sister. She kept those parts of herself so separate that she lost sight of where those characters ended and Phoebe began or she forgot that those seperate identities are still her.
I just love this character I don't think I've ever felt more seen in my life.
I love that our first introduction to Phoebe is her talking abt how she stole Orions girlfriend to get back at him for stealing her boyfriend. She's so real and I love them
Phoebe's relationship with her mother lives rent free in my mind. Her two oldest sons may have been for her legacy but her daughter? Her daughter was hers. Phoebe was hers and that was all that mattered. They both share the ferocity to protect the ones they love. Mrs Hong literally gave herself up so Phoebe's cover as Priest would not be blown. Phoebe joined the Communist party and became one of the most high profile assassins in order to protect her brother.
Phoebe is so similar to her mother and Ill never get over the fact that she'll probably resent and love her mother for the rest of her life.