Five Contemporary Novels Celebrating Women's Strength and Resilience
To celebrate International Women’s Day, here is a list of five contemporary novels across genres, ranging from horror, Greek retellings and autobiography. These novels not only feature strong, female leads, who are both brilliant and flawed, but also the relationships they foster with other women and families around them. Though not an exhaustive list and definitely not in any consecutive order (like I could choose my favourite), I hope you come across your next favourite read.
Before you embark on these books, please be aware of the content warnings in ‘Speak of the Devil,’ ‘Circe,’ and ‘The Silence of Scheherazade.’
1. Speak of the Devil - Rose Wilding
‘Speak of the Devil,’ by Newcastle’s own Rose Wilding, is a story about a brutal murder of a man, and the lives of all the women he has hurt in the past. From his aunt, to his underage girlfriend, to the detective and the journalist who oversees it all, each woman shares their own perspective, is uniquely constructed and each has a reason they could have done it.
At Rose Wilding’s book launch for her debut novel, she shared two gems of information that enhanced the reading experience. Her novel, ironically, got its origins when she was at university in Manchester, studying her MA in creative writing. In her seminar group, one of her peers is what she described as the embodiment of toxic masculinity, and to spite him, she shared the original draft of ‘Speak of the Devil.’ In her author’s note, she writes, ‘I am always, under the skin, under the polite smile, absolutely furious'.
2. This Must be the Place - Maggie O'Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell is probably best known for her novel ‘Hamnet,’ which re-entered the narrative on Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife. Though I would also recommend ‘Hamnet,’ it is in ‘This Must Be the Place’ that O’Farrell creates a powerful construction of a woman who becomes a recluse as a result of her health and the consequence of fame. Though from the perspective of her husband, Claudette can be seen to be a woman who learns what she wants, and then takes the steps to get it. She is not afraid to make hard decisions to protect herself and her family, and her bonds with her children, brother and mother are what craft her to be a very likeable and powerful character. In snippets, we get her history, how she rose to fame and how she wanted it to wane, to how she meets her husband and how she raises her children. A novel that feels pedestrian but is actually filled with twists, O’Farrell displays the lives of women from many different backgrounds.
3. Circe - Madeline Miller
If you’re studying English Literature, this may be a text that is familiar to you. Or, Madeline Miller made her name with her sensational novel, ‘The Song of Achilles.’ However, I will dig myself into a hole to say that ‘Circe’ is a lot better; you can see the maturation of Miller’s writing style making it a much more accessible read. A Greek retelling of Circe (obviously), a sea nymph who faced banishment as a result of creating the dangerous water-monster Scylla in a fit of jealousy, the book spans several centuries covering her isolation on an island. Here, she takes up lovers, meets travellers and hones her craft to be one of the first recognizable witches in Greek mythology.
The character of Circe is undeniably a feminist icon. She is self-made, finding her own power with what is available to her, and learns to become stronger in the face of advocacy. Though making mistakes, she has a journey of development and is one of the most dynamically written characters that I have come across in fiction. Miller is currently writing a novel about the Greek Goddess Persephone.
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4. The Silence of Scheherazade - Defne Suman with Betsy Göskel
A book that has been recently added to my own shelf, I can’t wait for the chance to read this novel translated by Betsy Göskel. Part spy adventure, part historical fiction, the novel is set in ancient Smyrna and is peppered with gorgeous descriptions of the city, how it is impacted by conflict and how history took its toll on the people during the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.
With a complex cast of many characters, including a mother with an opium addiction and an Indian spy, Suman details the intertwining relationships of three families from vast cultural backgrounds that congregated in the once peaceful city of Smyrna. The reader learns of the role of every member in the family, including women, and how they must navigate the changing history.
5. Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner
Michelle Zauner’s novel, ‘Crying in H Mart’ is a memoir about her relationship with her mother, and how she copes with her death by going to the local Asian supermarket, H Mart. A multicultural woman, both from South Korea and the United States, Zauner details her childhood where she attempts to balance these two opposing cultures, how she views her parent’s relationship and how her music career developed as a child.
Filled with beautiful prose and descriptions of Korean food that Zauner uses to reconnect with her mother after her death, this novel is filled with the sometimes difficult but also steadfast bond between a mother and daughter. Michelle Zauner’s music career is mentioned throughout the novel. However, she never directly advertises her music identity as Japanese Breakfast, but she does hint that she chose the name so that the audience would question what people ate for breakfast in Japan to spread the need to understand and value multiple cultures.
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Bonus: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Before I started writing this blog, I thought that I would leave ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ off the list considering that anyone who walks past Blackwells or Waterstones would have seen it in the window. However, if you want a quick, heart-warming and funny read with a powerhouse women lead as well as an Apple TV series to go alongside it, ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ is the cherry on the cake.
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‘I Capture the Castle’ fell into the category of Young Adult when the genre was first taking form. The oldest text on this list, it is undeniably an insight into what it is like to grow up into a woman; to deal with love and fractured families, and how to make sense of the world around you.
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By Leyla, third-year English Literature, Language & Linguistics student and Student Content Creator