The Once and Future Witches Review
As much as I love the ebook loans from my local library, the loan length of popular books is…a true challenge. I had to rush through all 517 pages of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow in 7 days and I finished it with about 35 minutes left on my loan, so the plot is all a bit of a blur. What I do remember from the plot is that it pays real attention to the very real race and respectability politics that were at play in the for-realsies suffrage movement. Stuff You Missed in History Class has several episodes about the women’s suffrage movement and I would especially recommend their episode on Frederick Douglass.
Check out their other episodes on women’s suffrage
The writing style of this book is beautiful and unique and I highlighted so many excellent quotes. I am so excited to read more of Harrow’s work. As the plot of the book revolves around women’s suffrage and witchcraft, it displays the myriad ways women experience injustice. What I found most infuriating were the small transgressions. I find it obvious that the “big” injustices happened (and still happen), but the small things hit me the hardest.
What’s so hard about calling a woman by her full name? Why do men always want to give you some smaller, sweeter name than the one your mama gave you?
I, too, am a serial sufferer of men’s “nicknames,” and I am so tired.
The story of sisterhood in The Once and Future Witches is really touching, and I would assume relatable to those blessed (and/or cursed?) with siblings. It is strongly hinted at that Agnes, Beatrice, and Juniper suffered abuse at the hands of their father in childhood and that they each dealt with that trauma differently, sowing discord between them. At the beginning of the story, they have not spoken in some years and all three sisters attend the same rally for women’s suffrage independently of each other. It is here that they meet again and heal their wounds. They rebuild their bond to be stronger than ever and I found it great to read.
Juniper wants to argue. She remembers the feel of her sisters’ hands in hers on summer evenings, the circle they made between them; the promise that was never said aloud but was woven in their hair, written in their blood: that one would never turn against the other. Surely Bella would have died before she broke that trust.
The sisters also share memories and take strength from their grandmother (I think?), Mama Mags, who taught them about witchcraft, and by extension, how to survive patriarchal oppression.
That temper will get you burnt at the damn stake, Mama Mags used to tell her. A wise woman keeps her burning on the inside.
There are other practical nuggets of wisdom that I will also carry into my normal life:
Beatrice and her sisters chose nine o’clock in the evening because nine o’clock is a woman’s hour. The dinners have been served and the dishes dried and stacked, the children tucked into bed, the whiskies poured and served to the husbands. It’s the hour where a woman might sit in stillness, scheming and dreaming.
