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singalana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It’s not a bad book - it just wasn’t for me.
White is for Witching is a book by Helen Oyeyemi. It tells the story of Miranda Silver, who, together with her twin brother and her father, lives in a house that four generations of Silver women have inhabited. The twins’ mother has died, and it causes Miranda to have a breakdown and start spiralling.
The book has four narrators - three first-person and one third-person. This makes the story a little bit hard to follow at times. Miranda’s brother Eliot, her friend Ore and the house itself are the first-person narrators. Miranda’s point of view is narrated through the third person. Not only does this make the story slightly hard to follow, but it also raises questions about which of the narrators - if any - are reliable?
The writing style of the novel is complex: on the sentence level, it’s very beautiful and evocative, but the stylistic choices can be jarring at times. As the house appears to consume Miranda, the reader starts to question which of the events are real.
The book is certainly creepy and weird, but I’ve started to question whether weird books are for me. If you’re a fan of Murakami’s Dance, Dance, Dance or Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, you might enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, Cannibalism, and Confinement
Minor: Racism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Xenophobia, Confinement, Murder, Cursing, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
maceydowns's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
upon finishing I immediately had to go back and read the beginning again. Such a unique read that I’m sure you’d get more from on every reread 🖤
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Body horror, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
archaicrobin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
White is for Witching is a gothic fever dream that was a little hard to get into at first, but once you adjust to the authors writing style it’s impossible to put down. Seriously hung between different perspectives and timelines, the story slowly unravels revealing the malevolent sentience of the house. I went into this one with very little knowledge be I’m glad, because there isn’t much you can say without ruining the vibes of the story. If you’re into gothic literature and literary novels that are eerie and twisty, you’ll enjoy White is for Witching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Death of parent
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