A review by sambortle
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

"I imagined myself unleashed, unhooked, unraveled, an explosion of heat and rage and frustration. My bones felt hot. My skin felt tight. The air in my lungs seemed to sizzle.” 
 
“It was, again, unmentionable. And the world kept its eyes on the ground.” 
 
Newbery Award-winner Kelly Barnhill makes her adult debut with the speculative WHEN WOMEN WERE DRAGONS. Barnhill’s fantastical novel is being billed as a rollicking feminist tale, and while this is true, it undersells much of the novel’s complexity. DRAGONS is a story of a feminine awakening and uprising, yes, but it is also a story of rage, memory, trauma, and what happens when a country’s response to tragedy is a collective silencing. 
 
Set in an alternate 1950’s America, DRAGONS centers around The Mass Dragoning of 1955, in which hundreds of thousands of “ordinary” women sprouted wings, scales, and talons, and took to the skies. They left burned up houses, offices, husbands, and bosses. They left children. They left, seemingly, for good. Alternating between first person memoir and a collection of primary documents, DRAGONS follows the story of Alex Green, who was just a child at the time of the Mass Dragoning. Despite knowing that she lost her beloved Aunt Marla to the transformation, Alex is forbidden to ask questions about where she went or why she suddenly gained a sister (who was, decidedly, never her cousin). Unfolding alongside Alex’s story is the larger story of a country’s collective refusal to reckon with its loss. Coverage of the Mass Dragoning is forbidden, with each fiery departure given its own coverup in the papers. Scientists attempting to study the dragonings are blacklisted and driven into hiding. 
 
DRAGONS is a timely exploration of the transformative power of rage, love, joy, and sexuality, and a thoughtful commentary on their gendered understanding in society. More than that, it is a story of family, community care, and of self-actualization. You should 100% pick this book up if you enjoy literary fantasy, interesting story structures, or badass librarians defending scientific research against a government insistent on plausible deniability. 
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