Moreover, the true meaning of grace emerges near the end of the novel through the girls’ actions before they leave the camp, and the (literal) birth of a symbol of hope for the future of the county’s women. Though the story is bleak and saturated with brutality, dangerous delusions and dog-eat-dog levels of survival, there are moments of light and hope entwined in this overshadowing darkness like hidden gems.
At the same time, the book is a fast-paced thriller that kept me riveted to the story as I anxiously followed Tierney’s journey, hanging on to not only her fate, but the fates of the other grace girls and Ryker’s (a poacher who displays an unexpected compassion and eventual love towards her).
This book definitely gives off feminist dystopia (a community rife with systemic sexism and internalised misogyny) vibes as well as those related to a delusional and murderous cult in the wilderness. However, I found the description of The Grace Year being reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale and Lord of the Flies being surprisingly accurate. Normally, I find descriptions of books involving “it’s like Book A met Book B” to be merely superficial promotional statements to attract a wider audience. Tierney James is one of the girls entering her grace year, and as she soon finds out, the girls’ greatest threat isn’t the harsh elements or the poachers waiting to harvest their body parts to sell on the black market. As such, they are banished into the isolated wilderness in their sixteenth year so that they can purge themselves of their magic and return purified. In Garner County, it is said that young girls possess a powerful magic – one that tempts men and incites women’s jealousy.
But for sixteen year old girls in Garner County, the grace year is anything but. Meaning good will, civility and the boundless love and mercy of God.
0 kommentar(er)
