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A review by samidhak
Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold
3.0
* MILD SPOILERS *
I read this one on audio and in-part from the physical copy. The chunk of it I finished in one sitting. I really liked the second person perspective. It makes us, the reader, complicit in the death, rapes, sexual harassment and physical violence of the characters. It is a great way to include the reader but also make the case for #metoo.
I liked the story; although, I am unsure if violence is the answer to everything. This was much more direct than the authorâs previous book, Damsel, which I loved. It not black or white, it has grey elements to it. So it doesnât say âall men.â What I wouldâve liked to see was why the men turned into wolves? And at what point they changed into wolves. This particular theme was brought up again and again, but never truly answered. Itâs the sexist and gender norms in our society that make men turn to wolves too. Sometimes, the culprit is the strict code of conduct which leads to toxic masculinity, and if the book had had that discussion, it wouldâve been more powerful.
I felt like the narrative made its point very clear in the beginning few chapters and so after the half way point, it
seemed a bit like filler.
For me, I thought the ending was metaphorical. Just like the concept of the wolves. It isnât about killing the wolf or the bad man, but it is more about confronting an act of violence that maybe didnât scar you physically but did traumatise emotionally. And also, female solidarity. Showing up and standing together, rather than you know, murdering people.
I love the original meaning behind Red Riding Hood, and the French version of it which basically acts like a cautionary tale to young women who recently start their periods to stray clear of strange men who are just out to get them. The whole fairy-tale screams policing of female sexuality. Another great author to read on the subject of feminist take on fairytales would be Angela Carter. I love her for being the visionary she was. So, keeping with the original source tale, I thought this book did a pretty fantastic job of making me feel satisfied, that for once it was the wolf who suffered.
EDIT: So much like Damsel I just realised that this was marketed as YA, and again I feel thatâs highly inappropriate, just because it has themes of murder and sex, and a lot more adult themes.
I read this one on audio and in-part from the physical copy. The chunk of it I finished in one sitting. I really liked the second person perspective. It makes us, the reader, complicit in the death, rapes, sexual harassment and physical violence of the characters. It is a great way to include the reader but also make the case for #metoo.
I liked the story; although, I am unsure if violence is the answer to everything. This was much more direct than the authorâs previous book, Damsel, which I loved. It not black or white, it has grey elements to it. So it doesnât say âall men.â What I wouldâve liked to see was why the men turned into wolves? And at what point they changed into wolves. This particular theme was brought up again and again, but never truly answered. Itâs the sexist and gender norms in our society that make men turn to wolves too. Sometimes, the culprit is the strict code of conduct which leads to toxic masculinity, and if the book had had that discussion, it wouldâve been more powerful.
I felt like the narrative made its point very clear in the beginning few chapters and so after the half way point, it
seemed a bit like filler.
For me, I thought the ending was metaphorical. Just like the concept of the wolves. It isnât about killing the wolf or the bad man, but it is more about confronting an act of violence that maybe didnât scar you physically but did traumatise emotionally. And also, female solidarity. Showing up and standing together, rather than you know, murdering people.
I love the original meaning behind Red Riding Hood, and the French version of it which basically acts like a cautionary tale to young women who recently start their periods to stray clear of strange men who are just out to get them. The whole fairy-tale screams policing of female sexuality. Another great author to read on the subject of feminist take on fairytales would be Angela Carter. I love her for being the visionary she was. So, keeping with the original source tale, I thought this book did a pretty fantastic job of making me feel satisfied, that for once it was the wolf who suffered.
EDIT: So much like Damsel I just realised that this was marketed as YA, and again I feel thatâs highly inappropriate, just because it has themes of murder and sex, and a lot more adult themes.