I enjoyed Megan Giddings last novel, Lakewood, and when I saw she had a new release with a witchy synopsis, I was sold. The Women Could Fly is set in a not so far from reality dystopian world, where witches are real and single women are monitored by the government. Every woman must marry by the age of 30, or else register with the government and essentially be "watched" for signs of being a witch. It is a fictionalized story, reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale and novels by Octavia Butler, with plenty of intersectional feminism. The reader can essentially replace "witch" with any marginalized group and get a feel for the discrimination and hypocrisy.
Josephine Thomas lost her mother as a teenager; except she does not know exactly what happened to her. Some say she ran away, others say murdered, while some believe she is a witch. Fourteen years have passed since her mother's disappearance and Josephine is ready to move on. She is approaching the age where she either needs to get married or enroll with the government to essentially be monitored. After reading her mother's will, she grants one last request that brings her on a journey to fully discover who she truly is.
I won't put it lightly, there is a lot packed into this novel. It was different from what I expected. At times, I felt like there was too much, but I appreciated the overall message of the book. It ranks in the 3-star range for me.
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Other Books by Megan Gidding:
Lakewood (click to read my full review)
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