Book Review: The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
Powerful women are always deemed witches, or worse.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson tells the story of Immanuelle, whose birth was considered a curse in the land of Bethel, where the Prophet cares for his devoted flock of followers. Immanuelle’s mother was cast to the pyre for conceiving a child with one of the outcasts of a different race. Years later, Immanuelle finds herself in the dark wood, the source of all evil according to Bethel, but Immanuelle finds something much more.
I am usually not a fan of horror stories, but Mexican Gothic was my gateway story. The Year of the Witching was much scarier to me. When you add the element of religion, it just makes things extra creepy.
But all in all, the storyline brought up some really important themes. There were so many different levels to the story:
Multiracial identity and racism
Immanuelle is of mixed race. This is woven subtly throughout the story. We see Black people relegated to the outskirts of town. Stricken with destitution, the people of color are cast to the edges of Bethel because they were not seen as worthy of favor from the Father. There is a scene where Immanuelle’s grandmother stops her from helping a woman of color in need because she deserves her lot:
“Good people don’t bow their heads and bite their tongues while other good people suffer. Good people are not complicit.”
Immanuelle is caught in the middle of these two worlds. She has lived all her life in Bethel, but has felt like an outcast because of her darker skin and curlier hair; she never quite fits in among the people there. Yet, there is this entire world she doesn’t know and is kept from her entire life, so she doesn’t quite belong there either.
Religion can be used for power and control
Throughout the story, we see how religion was used to control the people of Bethel. Sin kept people afraid and in their place. And sin wasn’t just about what someone did, but could also be about who someone was, including Immanuelle.
“True evil, Immanuelle realized now, wore the skin of good men. It uttered prayers, not curses. It feigned mercy where there was only malice. It studied Scriptures only to spit out lies.”
And it was because of this sin that men like the Prophet had so much power over the people. But ritual was also the source of the witches’ power too. The Prophet derived his power from the illusion of control (he remarks at one point about how fragile this power really is), but the power the witches possessed came from within, and this is what the great men feared.
Patriarchy is the real evil
The biggest lesson I took away from this story is that patriarchy is the real evil. Patriarchy was the force that sacrificed women and girls to the power of men. It took away their voice and their power. Witches are always seen as evil because they challenge the patriarchal rule of men.
I will give a content warning here, as some parts of this story detail instances of violence against women. There is burning, cutting, and physical and sexual violence. The most horrific and atrocious things in the book were done because of patriarchy.
“This was the great shame of Bethel: complacency and complicity that were responsible for the deaths of generations of girls. It was the sickness that placed the pride of men before the innocents they were sworn to protect. It was a structure that exploited the weakest among them for the benefit of those born to power.”
There is good and evil in this world, but it is not defined by who is a devout follower of faith. One of my favorite things about this book is the message about how power is wielded. A single unassuming girl can find her power if she goes to search for it — just like Immanuelle.
Overall, I gave this book four stars, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a creepy, yet empowering read!
