I don’t know when this happened, exactly, but somewhere along the way in the last year or so, I’ve become a little fascinated by novels about witchcraft. Not the broomstick variety, the burned at the stake type. The smart women than men have long been afraid of kind.
Weyward is by Australian novellist Emilia Hart, and tells the story of three women - Altha, Violet and Kate, who through challenges both unique and common to them, find themselves reaching to the strength they have within. Altha lives in the 17th Century, Violet during the period of World War II, and Kate in more modern day.
The book explores topics such as friendship, family, feminism and independence. Arguably, all three women are impacted by these and more.
Of course, witchcraft is really not such a mystery. So much of what happens in our lives is entirely predicatable and our connections to the earth - through animals, plants and minerals - are of greater strength than any we really possess alone. It was (and remains) more often women who are deeply connected to these crafts, and history tells us that empowered, smart women are seen as a threat to the power of men. And so they burned and hung women, in the name of God, but primarily out of fear.
Frankly, I am very comfortable with men fearing women.
Weyward is wonderfully written - it’s a page turner for sure, and although it took me a week to read, that was more because it was a busy week. I carried the book everywhere and took each opportunity to sneak in a couple of pages, when I could. I also got chatting with a lovely young server at a cafe, who asked what I was reading. It turned out she enjoys these types of novels too, and we each made recommendations to the other about similar stories. (I started listening to her recommendation on the long drive home, yesterday, and it is indeed a cracking story!)
There are certainly challenging topics in Weyward, including sexual assault, domestic violence, abortion and murder. Readers should be aware of those and tread carefully, if those are distressing to you to read about.
I cannot recommend Weyward enough, even if witchcraft is not your usual fare. Once upon a time, I would not have thought it mine, either.
Have you read Weyward? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, any recommendations you might have are most welcome!
