I’m always shocked that Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is written by Grady Hendrix, a man, and yet here we are: discussing how well this male author details out the horrors of homes for pregnant teens. It’s set in Florida during the sweltering hot summer of 1970. I love this book, but I feel the need to warn you that this is horror. It is not for the faint of heart and there’s no guarantee for a happy ending, though it depends on how you view happy endings if you think this one has it or not. All that said, I can’t recommend this book enough, especially since Roe v. Wade was overturned and we’re on our way to going back to these houses, this horror.
Witchcraft? Really?
It’s not as dominant as you’d think given the title. When the witchcraft does come into play, it’s as a form of gaining back control of their bodies and future, and as a form of revenge. This falls into the blended genres, I would say. It’s technically fantasy with the witchcraft, but it’s also minimal. There aren’t alternate universes, mystical creatures, etc. To me, it felt like the purpose of including witchcraft was like I said before, just a way to allow these unwed, pregnant teens to fight back against everyone who hurting them.
How Gory is this Horror?
Very. What’s wild is that some of this gore is just in the detailed birthing scenes. How telling that Hendrix includes gory, realistic birthing scenes along with the fantasy gore. Well played, Grady. Well played. So yes, there is gore, which makes sense with a horror novel, but it also makes sense with the topics at hand. According to the National Institute of Health, getting pregnant increases your risk of homicide by 35%. The psychological torture, while not gory, is also something you should be aware of it. It will likely break your heart to hear how these women were treated, how they were kept in dark about what was happening, and how everyone around them constantly tricked these women into behaving the way they thought they should behave.
