TW: Mentions of sexual abuse
Beginning with International Women’s Day and ending with violent police action against women mourning the death of Sarah Everard, being a woman in the UK last week was a draining whirlwind of exhaustion and disdain. We were flung from a celebration of all things female on Monday, to a mass denial of Meghan Markle’s experiences of suicidal struggles and racism on Tuesday. Wednesday brought the horrific news of Sarah Everard’s passing and the release of shocking (unless you’re female and then completely not-shocking) figures surrounding female sexual harassment. The week wrapped up on Saturday night with police aggression and arrests at a candlelit vigil for Sarah in Clapham. It was a lot.
To say we all need some respite is a serious understatement. That being said, I’ve put together a list of 5 must-read, female written books to help you unwind and celebrate the strength, power, and resilience of women that we all bore witness to last week.
Queenie by Candice Carty Williams:
Queenie is a book you’ll have to physically drag yourself away from kicking and screaming. You’ll find yourself rationing your reading to 0.5 pages a night because you can’t bear to finish it and be without Candice Carty Williams’ words, or Queenie’s irresistible presence in your life.
This book has it all. It’s hilariously funny with heart-warming characters, but also tackles serious issues including mental health and institutional racism in a poignant and insightful way. It’s fiction, but draws on very real experiences of black women having to deal with ingrained and “casual” everyday racism at the office, in social circles, and out in public. The book also explores the fetishisation of black women and in general sheds a light on the treatment of black women and girls in the UK.
Throughout the novel, we follow our protagonist Queenie after a bad break up as she tries to navigate her way through her turbulent sex life, female friendships, a difficult family life, and a career on the brink. Queenie is a powerhouse woman at the heart of this brilliant story. She’ll make you laugh, cry, and scream “what the f*** are you doing!!”, but ultimately, she’ll make you proud to be a woman.
The Mothers by Britt Bennet:
The Mothers is the 2016 debut novel from author Brit Bennett. The book follows main character Nadia beginning the summer after her mother’s suicide. Whilst processing her grief, Nadia has a brief romance with the local pastor’s son, Luke, which leads to an unwanted pregnancy and subsequent termination. We see Nadia’s decision to terminate her pregnancy and follow her through life in the small, Christian, conservative military town she’s grown up in and beyond, all told under the watchful eyes of the community’s judgemental mothers.
The book touches on themes of abortion, female friendship, grief, female ambition, abuse, societal expectations of black women, and the pressures of growing up in a small town, to name but a few. This is a great read and full of heart which captures the complexities of female experiences and the resilience of women beautifully.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel:
Another debut, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is an extraordinarily captivating read. The book follows the relationship between 15-year-old Vanessa and her 45-year-old English teacher Jacob Strane. The chapters move between Vanessa as a child embroiled in the relationship, and Vanessa as a 32-year-old woman still in regular contact with her abuser who is facing allegations from other former students. As Jacob leans on Vanessa for support, Russell explores the complexities of victimhood, coercion, and the systematic enablement of abuse.
My Dark Vanessa is a powerful and compulsive must-read that I have not stopped thinking about it since I put it down 6 months ago.
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld:
“You’re awfully opinionated for a girl” is how a young Hilary Rodham is addressed in the opening pages of this book. Fiercely smart, ambitious, and an impressive young student in 1970 is where we meet the Hilary we all know at the beginning of Rodham. But what would her life, and indeed the world, look like if she’d never have married Bill? This book will answer that pertinent question and so many more. Sittenfeld offers a sliding doors style exploration of what would have transpired if Hilary Rodham had turned down Bill Clinton’s engagement in 1974. This book is a clever, insightful, and explosive look into the hypothetical life that could have been for US politics’ most infamous leading lady.
Exploring feminism, female ambition, and blatant misogyny, Rodham offers a taste of what life could have been, with a forcefield of female leadership at the heart. What better way to spend Women’s History Month than by getting lost in the pages of this ingenious novel?
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
Americanah tells the story of the decade spanning relationship between central characters Ifemelu and Obinze, beginning their native in Lagos and following them to America, London, and back again. Beautifully weaving together themes of race, class, and immigration, the result is an epic and gripping story of navigating love and identity in the modern world. We predominantly follow Adichie’s female protagonist Ifemelu, who leaves Nigeria to study and live in the U.S. She is a smart and self-assured woman who tackles the racism, depression, and loneliness she experiences in her new home with strength and fortitude.
In this ideal read to celebrate all things female, Adichie explores themes of race, gender, politics, and foreignness using her proven talent for storytelling and a meticulous social commentary.
Grace Boulter
Featured image courtesy of Sincerely Media via Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Grace Boulter
23 year old Politics and International Relations graduate from Liverpool, currently working in the TV industry.