In light of International Women’s Day, here are five book recommendations celebrating women in literature.
Review
By Indéa Windust | Edited by Lisa Duncan
Circe by Madeline Miller
“It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures—flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment’s carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.“
Circe is for people who like retellings of Greek myths––if you grew up with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, this book might appeal to you. The story follows Circe, a nymph-turned-witch, who hasn’t been given much narrative agency in classic Greek mythology, or the fiction that follows (See: The Odyssey). One might think this book is Circe’s retelling of her interactions with Odysseus, but in reality, this novel follows her for the entirety of her very long life, and Odysseus is just a sliver of that story.
Miller masterfully gives dimension to a character who previously has been portrayed as a one-sided villain, while not making her a necessarily likable character. Circe is portrayed as very morally grey, but Miller gives backstory to create a multidimensional character whose actions are reflective of what she’s been through.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
“It came, over and over, down to this: What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?”
Little Fires Everywhere focuses on the picture-perfect suburban Richardson family. Their lives, however, are suddenly disrupted when a newcomer rents a house from them––Mia, an artist with her mysterious daughter, Pearl. Everyone is drawn to the new pair, as they disrupt the curated existence of the Richardsons, exposing what lies beneath their seemingly perfect façade. The two families become increasingly intertwined throughout the novel, secrets emerge, and it all culminates in a fiery climax.
This novel is an exploration of relationships that go beyond the traditional family drama. Ng obviously has a keen understanding of human nature, and she crafts characters who feel multidimensional. Little Fires Everywhere serves as a powerful commentary on expectations, racial and economic disparities, and the nuance of motherhood.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
“She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.“
The Vanishing Half is set in the 20th century, and focuses on the lives of identical twin sisters, Desiree and Stella. The pair are raised in a small, predominantly Black community in Louisiana. The sisters are Black, but are light-skinned, which is the crux of the novel: as they grow up, the twins take different paths. Desiree embraces her racial identity, while Stella chooses to pass as white.
This novel expertly explores themes of race, identity, and family. Through the crafting of nuances characters, Bennett provides readers with a thought-provoking exploration of identity in 20th-century America. One of the novel’s biggest strengths lies in the examination of colorism as it correlates to societal expectations. She uses the characters’ experiences as a prompt for readers to reflect on the significance of identity, and the consequences of trying to fit into social norms.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
“Are patriarchies peaceful because men are peaceful? Or do more peaceful societies tend to allow men to rise up to the top because they place less value on the capacity for violence?”
The Power is a dystopian novel which looks at what would happen if power structures between men and women were flipped. In this society, women are given the power of electricity in their touch, which can seriously harm––or even kill––men. At first, it seems justice is served with the newfound power women have against a system which has oppressed them for millennia––but that power quickly turns this novel from dystopian to post-apocalyptic.
This novel is not just a work of speculative fiction, but an examination of the building blocks which make up life in our society. Whilst being intriguing and fast-paced, it’s also thought-provoking. The Power explores complex discussions about power structures, oppression, gender, and religion, and is definitely a good read if you’re into dystopian literature.
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
“Where I come from, voicelessness is the condition of my gender, as normal as the bosoms on a woman’s chest, as necessary as the next generation growing inside her belly.“
A Woman is No Man is told through three generations of Palestinian women. It begins with Deya, an eighteen-year-old living in Brooklyn in a community she feels strips her of her voice as her parents arrange for her to be married despite her wishes. Her narrative is followed by Isra, Deya’s mother, who had to leave Palestine as a teenager for the same reason to marry Adam, an arranged suitor. Deya is told her entire life that her parents died in a car accident, but one day, she receives a mysterious letter which makes her begin to question everything. The story is told mostly through the narratives of Deya and Isra, but features occasional snippets from Fareeda, Deya’s grandmother and Isra’s mother-in-law.
The writing in this novel is absolutely beautiful, and the story is so important. This novel serves to reflect an honest and powerful portrayal of how family ties into community, and their cultural values. Needless to say, there’s a reason this novel has a 4.26 average review on Goodreads and over 60,000 five-star reviews. This novel begs to be read and understood, and it does a great job of eliciting emotion from the reader.
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