The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow is an enchanting tale of witchcraft and womanhood, set in a fictionalized version of 1893 America. It’s a genre defying read, not entirely fantasy, but not really historical fiction either. It takes important pieces from both, and weaves them into a story that feels both beautiful and deeply powerful.
Everything important comes in threes, they say, sometimes including sisters. The Eastwood sisters haven’t seen each other in seven years, but a mysterious force draws them back to the same place at the same time: a women’s suffrage rally in the city of New Salem in the spring of 1893. From there, they reunite despite old wounds to bring back the ways they were taught by their grandmother, the ways of the witches.
The Once and Future Witches features a gorgeous introduction that immediately hooked me on this story, and opened the door to so much potential. The story is told in the third person, with alternating perspectives from each of the sisters. Throughout the book, I was continually impressed by the beautiful language the author uses and the fascinating blend of discussions on witchcraft and the fight for women’s rights, two things that are inextricably linked.
The sisters themselves are each fascinating characters with their own richly layered backstories and motivations. As one of three sisters myself, I found myself finding pieces of myself and my sisters in The Eastwoods and their journey with womanhood in a way that was incredibly powerful.
Beatrice Belladonna, the eldest sister, is a careful librarian, who lives largely in her stories and her dreams. Agnes Amaranth, the middle sister, works at a cotton mill. She’s jaded and a little cynical, and she will do anything to survive. James Juniper, the youngest, is all fire and impulse. She’s vicious and vengeful, very understandably so, and she begins the story wanted for murder and suspected witchcraft.
A woman’s bodily autonomy and right to choose is a constant presence in this story in a way that feels essential right now. Published in 2020, this issue has only become more timely in the last five years since. At a time when women are facing unbelievable roadblocks to the rights over our own bodies, this book was not a balm, but instead an inspiration to keep fighting. It is deeply annoying that we are fighting for the same rights our great-great-grandmothers already suffered to grant us, but we cannot give up. The stakes are too high.
Another timely note in The Once and Future Witches is the disappointment many of the characters have in the formal organizations of the women’s movements, something that is deeply relatable for many feminists on the front lines today.
This is why fantasies — especially those written by women — are just as important and valuable in the literature space as any other kind of novel. These messages, whether they contain smut, dragons, witches, or any combination of the three, are essential. We see ourselves in these magical women, and they encourage us to fight our own evils.
Now, The Once and Future Witches is a little lengthy, but every page has purpose. This book is not an easy read. It takes thought and attention and time, but it is worth it in the end. The last section was absolutely heart wrenching and when I turned the final page of this beautiful story of sisterhood and magic, I was equal parts devastated, moved, and inspired.
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