This book. THIS BOOK. All my feminist friends, you must read The Change. It is such an amazing fictional feminist manifesto that has me all fired up to go out and smash the patriarchy. I’m not kidding when I say this book had an immediate influence on me. I read it over the weekend when we were staying at a hotel for a mini family vacation. I wanted to grab a coffee from the lobby and was about to put a bra on under my pajamas when I thought to myself, why?! So some weird man in the lobby doesn’t stare at my boobs? Who the F cares! Therefore, I went down to the lobby, got my coffee, nipples free from a bra and all. I’m not sure if Kirsten Miller thought this book would have this type of affect, but it sure did!
Outside of the hotel was a beautiful pollinator garden and was the perfect location for a little book photoshoot. I think Harriett would approve.
Synopsis:
Set in a coastal community of Mattauk, three women find that midlife may just be the beginning of them discovering what they are fully capable of. Nessa, Jo and Harriett, all find each other under different circumstances, but their pasts have all been similar in the sense that men have dictated how they live their life, how they look and what is deemed “right.” The uncover bodies of missing and murdered young women and embark on their own investigation to uncover who in their community is a murderer.
Review:
I was heavily influenced by #bookstagram to read The Change, but I truly did not expect to love it as much as I did. I was sucked into the story of these three women and the men who have held them back over the years, coupled with a murder mystery with twists around every turn. This book spoke to my feminist heart. It had me laughing, while simultaneously crying and wanting to punch someone in the face.
Chapters alternate character perspectives between Jo, Harriett and Nessa. I honestly loved each of these women and they each brought a unique aspect to their friendship. Shortly after they find each other, the women discover that they each have a special power. Nessa can hear the dead, Jo has extreme strength and power, and Harriett has a unique way with nature. When these women come together, they are a force to be reckoned. These badass women are determined to uncover who is behind the young girls they found murdered in their small coastal town.
I adored this book. It has a fast and exciting plot, witty dialogue, timely topics and themes, and a cast of characters that were superb. It has a lot of heavy themes but covers them in a way that will get you fired up to make some change in the world. There is some weird sh*t in this book. For real, there is tons of period talk, but do not let that deter you because it is extremely relatable and done so in such a witty manner. As I read these women rant about the suffrages we face, I couldn’t help but nod along and agree. I mean, half the world has a period, so why the F is it looked at as a disgusting thing?! I’ll tell you why. Because men that run the marketing departments of tampon companies want us to view periods as a fun time where we can wear white, go jogging and jump on a trampoline uninhibited….ok, I’m sounding a bit like Jo and Harriett now…. I digress….
Anyways, read this book.
BRB, going to focus all my feminist rage into burning down the patriarchy.
Content/trigger warnings: sexual assault, death of children, sexism
Rating:
5 stars
Favorite Quotes:
“Why do you think women are designed to outlive men? Why do we keep going for thirty years after our bodies can no longer reproduce? Do you think nature meant for those years to be useless? No, of course not. Our lives are designed to have three parts. The first is education. The second, creation. And in part three, we put our experience to use and protect those who are weaker.”
"No matter what Jo accomplished, her body-and those of the women around her-made her question what was truly valued."
“Anger's like rocket fuel. Either it pushes you forward, or it burns you alive.”
"There have always been those who want to deny women power. And there are also women who refuse to accept it. Some, who've mastered the games men play, choose to betray their own kind. These women are our most dangerous enemies. But many women are simply too frightened to see things as they really are-or to accept that the world men have made must be destroyed."
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