Title: The Change
Series: N/A
Author: Kirsten Miller
Genres: Fantasy, Magical Realism
Publishing Date: 18 August 2022
Original Language: English
Pages: ~448
CW: Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Trafficking
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Read if you’re looking for:
- A feminist story where women develop “powers” when they reach menopause
- Middle-aged women as protagonists
- Terrible men getting their comeuppance
- Witches & botanical magic
- Ghosts
- Responding to hot flashes by walking around in the nude outside
This novel is a fun & humorous tale of revenge. We have three main characters, middle-aged women, who are going through “the change.” As they transition to menopause, they begin to discover that they are gaining some interesting powers. They all live in a community on Long Island, & through a series of events, become friends. One of them begins to see ghosts of murdered young women & girls, & the three begin on a mission of justice & revenge, leaving a trail destruction in their wake.
I am the target audience for this book, so I really enjoyed it & identified with the characters. I do love a “good for her” book, & I’m white & entering middle-age. One of the three main characters is black, & there is a lot of discussion of how the victims in the book have been targeted because many of them are poor or non-white, so I think the author did a pretty good job there. However, the book is definitely written from a white, middle class, point of view, so just be aware of that. I really loved the depiction of the caring relationships between the women, & how they had each other’s backs, no matter what. The descriptions of the characters were great, especially the annoying and misogynistic male characters. They definitely felt like people that I have met in my life. Overall, this was great fun, & I really appreciate any book that centers older women as the main characters.
