When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill - Book Review

A novel on women’s voices and equal rights that begs the question – how different are we really, even if our outsides aren’t the same?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In its totality, this novel is a study of feminism during the 1950’s and how the remnants of it have followed us into the 21st century. Beginning with Alex following her family’s rules and trying to stay as small and out of the way as possible, she soon takes on her mother’s strong spirit and her aunt’s authoritative notions to make a sturdy life for herself and Beatrice.

Barnhill uses the Mass Dragoning as a parallel to how women’s bodies are treated in society. We are told to not talk about anything that has to do with a woman’s body, an unfortunate truth that has followed us into the 21st century. Following societal norms throughout the novel causes mental strain and hardships to everyone involved in the dragoning. It isn’t until dragons are spoken about during their return that humans realize how much better life can be when you accept those around you for who and what they are.

The underlying notes of queer culture were beautifully inserted as they should be in every novel: It is part of our culture to live side by side with all kinds of people so having lesbian main characters that weren’t called out for being queer was breathtaking. Alex didn’t overtly mention her or Marla’s sexuality a single time because women’s matters are not spoken about as a societal norm. Having dragons be the point of interest instead of how taboo homosexuality was in the 1960’s allowed me to see the overarching themes of exclusion and togetherness. Without mirroring this world to our own, I was able to fully immerse myself in Alex’s reality.

Some of the best parts of this novel were Barnhills very queer descriptions of women dragoning and how beautiful women were in Alex’s eyes. The comparison of what Alex used to think about dragons while she dances with the transitioning dragons on prom night is a mesmerizing moment that I read a few times over so I could relive it again and again.

“When Women Were Dragons” is written as a memoir or a diary entry by Alex as she lives out the end of her life. The insertion of medical journals, interviews, and notes by Dr. Gantz lets the reader know throughout the novel that dragons are something bigger than what society is trying to make humans believe – no pun intended. It shows us how important the dragons will become to Alex as she tries her hardest to ignore their existence for most of her adolescence.

Through the diary entries, Alex continually breaks the fourth wall to tell the reader what she now knows about her feelings and certain situations that happened to her in the past. I’m an absolute sucker for a parenthetical fourth-wall break: At the first instance, I knew I would love the way Barnhill would tell Alex’s story.

Unfortunately, memoirs and diary entries eventually end in a summary of the final moments of life. I loved the full circle that Barnhill took us on to close out Alex’s life to see the woman and doctor she grew to become, along with the state of her mixed household. However, I just can’t stand a summary at the end of a book. I’m not sure how I would have preferred Barnhill write the ending, I think it’s my own personal preference that isn’t allowing me to enjoy the ending as much as I would like to.

Barnhill wrote an absolutely beautiful novel about women becoming who they are truly meant to be, whether that is a human astrophysicist or a dragon baker or a dragon who fights for world peace. This novel reminds us, as women, to never be afraid to take up space and grow to our largest potential.

I read this book on kindle originally and I will certainly be buying a copy to add to my collection. I only gave this book 4 stars because I can’t get over how human the dragons were. I understand the point of making them inherently human so they could rejoin society, but giving them purses and having them adhere to 1950’s societal norms didn’t seem right to me. Each time a dragon reached for her purse, I was brought out of the world that Barnhill created. Aside from this fact and the summary of the ending, this is truly one of my new favorite books, even though I can’t give it more than 4 stars.

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Favorite Quotes:

“The music pulsed. Two hands took my hands and twirled me around, setting the world spinning. When my mother died, she was only a husk of what she used to be—paper and dust and air. (The woods decay, the woods decay and fall.) Another girl looped her arm around my waist, and I felt the heat of her hip pressing against my hip, and the earth shifted under my feet, making me dizzy. I saw a dragon when I was four years old and on that day I learned to be silent; I was given no context, no frame of reference, no way in which to understand my experience, and the adults in my life hoped I would forget, and by doing so, nearly forced me to forget. A girl ran her gloved hand along my sweaty collarbone and down my arm. I shivered. My aunt nearly destroyed her house and flew away from her life and my cousin became my sister, and an entire section of my family was erased forever. Or so I thought. A girl pressed the backs of her fingers on my cheek and gazed at my face. I felt the skin on my neck begin to flush. There were galaxies in her eyes. The music enlarged itself. I could feel it in my bones. The dancers swirled. They were entrancing, these girls. And entranced. They moved like a single organism—or, rather, they moved with a single collective mind. A hive of girls. A swarm of women. A murmuration of dancers. They threw their heads back in ecstatic joy. Pleasure radiated from their bodies in waves—pleasure at the simple fact of being this very person, at this very moment, living this very life. Cheeks flushed. Lips reddened. Fingers lingered on fingers and hips curved against one another through the frothy rustle of skirts.”

“Once again, the past and the present wind together: they loop, they twist, they pull in tight. Tension and response, filament and friction and time. A knot.”

Questions for Book Club:

What did you think of the structure of the book? Do you feel that it added anything to the narrative? What did you think of the added documents, interviews, and other text between the chapters?

What did you think of the extended metaphor for women’s rage turning them into dragons?

Consider the intense pressure to stay silent after the mass dragoning. What other historical events have been relegated to silence? What is lost if people aren’t allowed to speak of their experiences and trauma?

The taboo against speaking about the dragoning is obviously due to its connection with the feminine. Discuss how women’s bodies, experiences, and sexualities have been considered taboo over the years.

Consider Alex’s talents in the mathematics field, and all of the way that the men in her life try and push her out. How are her experiences in the 1960’s similar to attitudes still held today?