Witchy Review: VenCo by Cherie Dimaline

My wee review:

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline is a totally fun, witchy, magical romp that is a nice palate cleanser between more literary, deep, or emotional fare, with a fun and empowering "hex the patriarchy!" message.

Confession: I had never heard of Cherie Dimaline until last winter, when my bookish pal Sonya invited me to an author talk at the Toronto Public Library about Ms. Dimaline's new witchy novel that was just being released, VenCo. The author on stage was magnetic- wearing a black 'hex the patriarchy' tee and a funky cowboy hat, tattooed, dropping some swear bombs, and describing her book about an inclusive and representative coven of witches, working to take down the evil patriarchy (embodied in one spooky villain), and usher in a new post-patriarchal world order.

Well, bang the auctioneer's gavel, because I was SOLD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Mfj5o0L08

Credit- Toronto Public Library's recording of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Mfj5o0L08

Alas, as is often the case, it took me a bit of time to get to reading the book as my to-be-read list, library holds, etc got in the way. As we started heading into fall, it felt appropriate to read about some witches doing some wonderful witchy things.

My late-September weekend, encapsulated: digging into a

new book, perusing the Globe and Mail, and drinking many

cans of sparkling water (credit)

What I loved:

The premise of this book is wonderfully creative- we all know that many ills are rooted in patriarchy (and his favourite son, capitalism), and Cherie embodies this broad systemic reality in an evil, anti-female/anti-witch male order that has taken over the world, hunted witches, aided men in ascending to power, and allowed such ills to flourish. Lucky St. James, our main heroine, and her newfound coven of witches must work to take down this order and usher in a new matriarchal dawn. In its creativity, sense of humour, and 'hex the patriarchy!' energy (quoting from the author's acknowledgements), this book somewhat reminded me of the Barbie movie- replacing all that pink energy with black, of course.

Our main character, Lucky, is a delight. An edgy, scrappy fighter. She's the primary caregiver of her grandmother Stella, who provides comedic relief and whose relationship with Lucky is heartwarming and honest--sometimes it ain't easy cohabitating with loved ones! The other characters in the coven represent archetypes of different women and different identities (including a trans woman). I felt less connected to them but I loved the diverse circle they formed.

What I loved less:

With such a clear good vs evil structure and plot, sometimes the book felt a tad cheesy. I also wasn't sure if I 100% grasped some of the logic and structure of the magical world she was creating- there is a three-woman oracle that plays a role, as well as different categories of women who aren't witches but who support them (e.g. Seekers). Sometimes those supporting structures felt a bit unclear or unnecessary? But I will admit that I'm not typically a fantasy reader and so this could be my realism bias showing.

Also, maybe this is obvious given the premise, but sometimes the book gets spooky! And, as someone who scares very easily, I had to put the book down and snuggle my dog.

Me, being easily spooked by anything remotely and slightly spooky

in this book. Also, how great is my philodendron Beyonce doing?

She's taking over the walls and I love it (credit).

Final thought:

If you're looking to support a wonderfully creative Indigenous Canadian author, and have a fun Halloween-appropriate read this fall, pick this one up! Or, I bet it would be great on audiobook!