Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan Review

A beautifully written story about the power women has (or don’t) over themselves. Let it be a simple choice from; What should I wear today? to the right of their own function and the choice and forge of their own fate and future with their wisdom that comes from the biggest goddess of all; Mother Earth.

The story of Lux plays somewhere around medieval times when the plague was roaming Europe. Lux is living with her mother near the forest just at the edge of the local village. They live off of the little they have by selling remedies, potions and herbs. We join her story when her mother dies suddenly and she almost ends with the same fate as the angry mob-like villagers forcing her out of her home by committing the only thing which is imaginable in the cruelty of that era; arson. As her life is in grave danger she sees no way out from the heat and hate of the flames and people. That’s when a mysterious woman turns up wearing a cloak and saves her life. As they move quickly and quietly in a never-ending bone-achingly dark and cold forest Lux is convinced that her saviour whose face is hiding from the world is a North witch with tremendous power. As they travel we get to know Lux’s past and we meet many different and colourful characters who to me felt almost like; ghosts. Like phantom whispers and long cold busy little fingers who are always watching but don’t belong to the same reality as the main characters. 

There were so many things about this book that I absolutely adored and enjoyed but it is extremely difficult to write about them without giving too much away. Still, I will try my best for my review to be spoiler free. Among many things, probably one of my favourite aspects of the story was the main character; Lux’s evolution throughout the story. Not just from a girl to a woman and then something so much more in the end, but her character almost felt like clay to me. The soft, silky, slippery gift of the Earth, which is being twisted, bent and broken, dried out, cracked so many times. While through her, even the ancestors’ pain came through. I couldn’t help but feel the heavy burden on my chest when I realised; nothing much had changed since then. Not in its root or in its nucleus where it matters the most. Women are still what the outside world tells them to be. Women are still fighting for basic rights and sometimes they forget who they are. Sometimes they look over their shoulder and start their sentence like; ‘May I?’ And if there was a moment in the book when I thought; ‘Oh well, Ok things are not that bad now.’ A second thought like lightning brightened up my mind; ‘And still, you read about it, and still, we write about it and still you can feel it in your chest.’ 

I think one of the scariest points of the book was when one of the kitchen girls was not allowed to be around or tend the food because she was on her period and her unholiness would spoil the food. The same thing happened to me when I was a child. The same shame and naiveness that I had. To obey their rules as if they were right, like if it completely made sense. Not deep down in my heart but definitely on the confused outside that I’ve maintained. 

I also loved the way the author used harsh cursing words. Most of the time if an author writes these words down with malice I cringe. I don’t like it. Especially when they try to pose their main character as the ultimate good guy. It feels false, it feels like they pretend to be someone else even when they write, but the way Kirsty Logan used these words was more like sitting at a lecture in University. Like when somebody talks about real life with real words and they don’t feel bad at all. They are what they are. Honest tools of harshness. The book also has good dynamics; there are no boring pages; even though the author focused more on the development of the main character, which is one of the reasons why this book is so good.  A bouncy slow-burner with a lot to think about and more to feel. The chapters were perfect length-wise for me; someone who always checks where the end is when I start to read a new chapter. The book also has enough action to keep you on your toes, while the other chapters; where the author takes the reader to reminisce about her characters’ past are long enough to slow your speeding heart rate a little.

It also inspired me a lot. Not just as a person who is always trying to heal and learn from everything around her, but as an artist. As a writer. Which is hard to write down for me because it doesn’t feel like I have earned it. And that’s the thing. That’s where this book touched my aching burning forehead and brought me cool relief with its icy long fingers; the only thing I ever have to be; is myself. That’s it. The reason for a reading slump or a more serious writing block is the inner blockage that I can’t pump out of my system. Because I never gave the green light to myself and just do what I want to do. Or to be more precise; To feel what I want to feel. And for a second; like in this moment I write this because I want to, I write this because I feel like it. It comes out naturally like a smile for a child or a puppy. And there is nothing more important to do to oneself than being. 

It also managed to deepen my understanding of the relationship I had with my mother. Not the one which needed help. On both ends. But the one that I felt in my bones every time when she said; ‘If the owl is screeching under your window it means somebody is going to die.’ Logically, it made no sense to believe in it. I mean, I study Astronomy and Planetary Science. I’m a science girl. But when I say every cell in my body was shivering, shrieking and went into a max frenzy just like Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic when I heard the owl, That Owl, under my window I’m not even exaggerating. 

I truly, truly highly recommend this book to everyone who needs some magic in their life or just a green light to finally be who they are. Kirsty Logan became one of the authors whose work I would definitely follow in the future and catch up on her past. A massive thank you to Katrina, who brought these gems into my life. Like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I can finally close 2022 with a satisfied sigh.