# BSG #116: The Fifth Poem is Really Important / Sunbirth

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-squad-goals-7882/bsg-116-the-fifth-poem-is-really-important-sunbirth
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-squad-goals-7882/bsg-116-the-fifth-poem-is-really-important-sunbirth.md
Podcast: [Book Squad Goals](https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-squad-goals-7882)
Published: 2026-02-18T05:37:12+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/bsg-116-the-fifth-poem-is-really-important-sunbirth--70128188
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70128188/sunbirth_leveled.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/book-squad-goals-7882/episodes/bsg-116-the-fifth-poem-is-really-important-sunbirth
Duration seconds: 4203

## Resource

Is it just us or are things…dark lately? We’re not just talking about the news – we’re discussing Sunbirth by An Yu. We talk about the meaning of the sun slipping away, the writing style and pacing, the narrator, and the general ennui of it all. Then we take a brief side quest to talk about The Traitors US S4 because we can. Grab your windbreaker for our next Othersode about Emerald Fennell’s film “adaptation” of Wuthering Heights – featuring special guest Ben Mitchell – on March 3. Then read along for our next Bookpisode about Swallows by Natsuo Kirino on March 17. Hop on over to our Patreon and support us to get access to exclusive pet photos, including ~spicy~ Valentine’s Day pics! TOC :30–Welcome! 6:15–Book Intro 8:00–The sun of it all 18:00–How the novel is set up/written 33:30–The narrator 43:17– The unknown, the ennui, and the point of it all 50:00–The ending? 56:40–Traitors talk to lighten the mood 58:30–What’s up next?

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## Transcript

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