“This was the Great Mystery that lay at the heart of all things.

This was the miracle that passed all understanding.

First there is nothing. Then there is.”

Before reading this book I had no idea that ‘Maternity Homes’ or ‘Homes for Unwed Mothers’ had ever existed, that young girls could be sent away, hidden away, treated as nothing, and coerced into surrendering their babies up for adoption. That was naïve of me because of course they existed, of course young girls were shunned and blamed for not controlling themselves, of course they were seen as sinners, or wayward, of course they shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions concerning their own bodies. These homes may not exist today but how far away from these notions have we really come? How much has really changed?

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix powerfully illustrates the realities of womanhood, pregnancy and childbirth. This is a tale about girls who become victims but find  empowerment, about girls who seek witchcraft and a drop of freedom. 

Wellwood House in Florida is a home for unwed mothers, a place that will feed, medically care for and keep these pregnant girls away from society until after they have given birth and their child is adopted. Then they can go home, get on with their lives and forget the ordeal ever happened. Fern is one such girl, pregnant at fifteen she is driven to Wellwood House by her father and left there, alone, vulnerable and terrified. There she meets other girls in her situation. Rose, a hippie feminist determined to keep her child, Holly, the youngest of them all and mute and Zinnia, who finds comfort in playing the piano. These four friends face injustices together and long to change their fate.

“No one cares what any of you wish, or hope, or pray. You speak, you cry, you scream, you beg, and what good has it done you? Here you are, hidden away like unflattering photographs in some forgotten drawer, locked up for doing the most natural thing in the world.” 

From the very beginning I was angered by how Fern and the other pregnant girls were mere children who were ultimately let down by adults when they needed them the most. Instead of compassion and a guiding hand, Fern’s father and mother show her disappointment and disgust, her friends shun her and the adults in the Home are no better. Miss Wellwood, who runs the Home treats them all as inconveniences, as immature girls who need firm guidance to bring them back on a moral or religious path. Diane, the social worker, only sees adoption as the best solution for each of them, no matter if this is not what they want. Dr Vincent is an ignorant man who puts the girls under restriction after restriction, passing off ailments as “all in their heads” and has a righteous view of himself. Even those who try to help, such as the kitchen staff Hagar and Miriam do so with reservations. It was easy for me to hate all the adults in this novel, but really how much are they to blame? The story is set in 1970 so are they just a product of their generation? Are they not really trying to make it so the girls can have their lives back? Given that it was the 70’s and there was little in the way of financial and social support for these girls, would their babies not have been better off adopted? My heart says no because it’s horrendous for a mother to be forced to give away her child but in a world with little choices, what is right and wrong? That’s the beauty of Hendrix’s story, it’s designed to make readers continually think and question.

Hendrix may not have any experience of what it’s like to be a woman, but he sure does capture the injustice, trauma and hardships we face. Even today. Yet this isn’t just a story of victimisation, it’s also that of empowerment. When Fern chances upon the librarian, Miss Parcae, who ominously gives her a book on How to Be a Groovy Witch for the first time Fern and her friends, Rose, Zinnia and Holly get a taste of power, they have a way to hit back. As the girls tap into the powers of witchcraft a price of blood must always be paid. So yes, there are some pretty gruesome scenes including rather graphic and realistic birth scenes. I do feel we don’t get enough scenes of witchcraft and more dark magic would have been welcomed but honestly the real horror comes from how these girls were psychologically manipulated, dismissed and voiceless against both the adults at Wellwood House and the witches alike. However, as the novel spans towards the girls being fully grown adults we discover that they did make a life for themselves, that the Homes were finally abolished and that it was possible for them to reconnect. I feel Hendrix gives us a rather emotionally charged conclusion, one where I wasn’t sure if I was crying with tears of happiness or sadness.

“Magic is the opposite of intellectual thought. Magic springs from your emotions, unrestrained by the rules of the everyday. Logic says you cannot, you should not, you must. A witch obeys only one command: I will.”

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is anger-inducing and utterly compelling. Hendrix delivers a chilling, eye-opening tale that will stick with me for a long time. 

ARC provided by Olivia at UK Tor and PanMcMillan in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! 

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is out 16th January but you can pre-order your copy on Bookshop.org