Book Review: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett | Can Logic Be Overtaken by Lies and Emotion? Ft. A Story of Love, Punishment, and Magic
Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.
With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
Discussion:
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The open water, the breeze, the unobstructed sun glaring down on us - it feels like freedom, but we know it's a lie. This is how they break us. They take everything away, our very dignity, and anything we get in return feels like a gift.
A perfect mash-up of The Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games during the Salem Witch Trials, Liggett's The Grace Year features a patriarchal society that fears the power of women, claiming a woman's luring gaze is downright witchcraft.
[Women are] told we have the power to lure grown men from their beds, make boys lose their minds, and drive the wives mad with jealousy. They believe our very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That's why we're banished for our sixteenth year, to release our magic into the wild before we're allowed to return to civilization.
Tierney, our female protagonist, is sixteen-years-old and is expected to marry and start a family, as is many of the other girls in her town. However, before she begins her role as a dutiful spouse and mother, she must embark on her Grace Year, during which all sixteen-year-old girls in the town will reside collectively in the wilderness until their "magic" dispels. Entirely alone and free to make their own decisions, these girls' choices will either strengthen or weaken their relationships, thus affecting their safety. Yet, when loner Tierney is unexpectedly courted by her best friend Michael, she is plunged into the female-female rivalries she spent years avoiding. Will Tierney be able to survive the year, or will her "magic" and the competition drive her to madness?
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In the past year, the word "feminism" has been frequently raised on social media - to the point that I question whether I know what actual feminism is or if TikTok's toxic version has come to dominate my world. My initial thought of Liggett's feminist story was, "Like The Handmaid's Tale?" Although the story is placed in a dystopian era, the culture is more traditional and the practices can be compared to those done during the Salem Witch Trials, especially as the opinions of females are challenged with deathly punishments such as hangings. However, Liggett's take on a heavy subject and her storytelling easily made this an exciting and gripping novel.
Liggett's prose is executed wonderfully and places you exactly in Tierney's shoes. Although learning about the history of the town and its events from varying perspectives would have been interesting, the intimacy of following young Tierney makes the story so unputdownable. As Tierney readies to participate in the forty-seventh Grace Year, the reader is told that Tierney's mother previously underwent the ceremony as well and possibly her grandmother. Thus, since Tierney's knowledge of the the Grace Year is limited to what she has been told, there is so much mystery involved in the world itself. This quality not only lends to the reader's role as a detective aiming to understand the reasons behind the characters' actions but also unravels the town's repulsive and toxic nature. For example, women are plotted against each other from a very young age. In the town, men prey on and brainwash them; outside of town and during their Grace Year, this toxicity is fueled by their insecurities. Further, beyond the town's outskirts, ruthless poachers seek to kill these girls during their Grace Years and present their remains as trophies to be sold to the town's men and woman seeking to preserve their youth. However, as noted by the quotation marks surrounding the women's "magic," it's all false - a lie maintained to control these young girls as they develop into women.
There is no doubt that Liggett aims to reflect our society, particularly its cliques. The mean girls lead the young women during their Grace Year and inevitably punish anyone who disagrees with them. Tierney, with her set of survival skills, sets to improve the lives of the girls during their Grace Year. Rather than drink from an algae-infested well and rely solely on the rations they packed before their trip, she attempts to produce several solutions to help the overall experience of the Grace Year. Rather than the expected praise I would give Tierney for her creativity and resourcefulness, she is mocked and banished from the main pack. It's truly remarkable how Liggett skillfully portrays the influence of brainwashing over several decades and how much I literally want to hug each of these ladies.
However, Tierney's banishment leads to an unlikely romance with a poacher Ryker. Although I was at first flabbergasted with Tierney falling in love, Ryker fit the story extremely well. Tierney, at the beginning, is wanting her life to be entirely up to her. Since women are basically treated like property in her world, she despises courting, the Grace Year ritual, and anything to do with marriage. Tierney's initial wish is to not be chosen for marriage at the choosing ceremony and work in the fields where she can remain free. Although her plans are turned upside down after being courted by Michael, I enjoyed Tierney's love for Ryker was her choice, and I love that Liggett included this romance in this story, especially since it is not un-feminist to fall in love or do tasks that are stereotypically feminine. I love the maturity and bravery exhibited by Tierney during her time with and after Ryker, and these scenes definitely encompassed the strength and intelligence of Tierney wonderfully.
Moreover, the symbolism with the flowers! Quite a unique concept that I have not seen yet in the books I have read, and I enjoyed learning each flower's meaning!
Lastly, the ending! Although I am somewhat confused by the ending, it was peaceful. There are spoilers ahead in this paragraph; therefore, I warn any socially awkward turtles to proceed with caution and read this masterpiece so we may discuss at our next meeting. Thank you!
So, the ending! Um...Liggett ended the story vaguely. Passing by Tierney's dismay of a betrothed, her subsequent send off into the scary wilderness, and her life's desire to give women the freedom to pursue their own passions, she gives birth to her daughter and experiences this:
As I close my eyes and let out my next endless breath, I find myself walking in the woods, weightless, free.
And, then Tierney is flashed to a scene of a very much alive Ryker walking around although the reader most definitely witnessed him die. So, it begs the question: is Tierney in too peaceful of a moment in which she dies during childbirth? With Tierney's mom freeing her hair and Ryker's dreamlike appearance, it's assumed that Tierney dies. Nonetheless, Book #2 will have to explain something about this ending scene and the legacy of Tierney's daughter.
What did you think of Liggett's The Grace Year? Was it the feminist novel of the year, or do you have a differing opinion? What one object, if you were set to be stranded in the woods with nothing else, would you bring? What books will you be reading in 2024? Converse with me in the comments below or via any social media!
Love,
newbookcats
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