Knowing this, makes the subtle use of a crane as a symbol smart. When you’re aware of this, it’s more probable to guess that Hesina is a descendant of an immortal and that her name means that she’s their cause of death. You see, cranes are known to symbolize good fortune, happiness and longevity/eternal youth. I can’t recall a moment when cranes play a big enough role to deserve being a part of the title and Hesina’s name-which isn’t good because that basically makes it a pointless symbol, especially for those who are unaware of what a crane symbolizes. At one point of the book, we find out that Hesina’s name is a homophone for ‘dying cranes’ and the birds are briefly mentioned another time or two, but that’s it. The first being the lack of consistent, prominent and (more) explicit allusions, symbolism and metaphors related to cranes. There’s a lot that I found unsatisfying with Descendant of the Crane. Thus, I had hoped and that hope grew when I found that this book has the makings of one while I was reading it. Maybe I’ve made a mistake of thinking that this would be like one of those vicious, brutal and painful worldview-shattering humans-are-monsters-monsters-are-humans kind of book like how Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is. I never thought that there would be a day when I’d say this, but I’m disappointed by how tame Descendant of the Crane turned out to be. Published: 2019 by Albert Whitman & Company

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