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A review by marissalobot
The Burning by Laura Bates
4.0
This wasn't an enjoyable read but I think it was an important story to read. It tells the story of 15 year old Anna, who has moved to St Andrews to escape some things from her past. She's barely settled in to her new school when nudes she'd sent to a boy back at her old school resurface and horrible bullying, in-person and online, ensues. There's also the big sub-plot of how a woman called Maggie from 400 years ago was burned at the stake for being a witch, and Anna has vivid dreams about her.
The comparison between Maggie and how girls and women are treated today was very on the nose, but not in a bad way. There's no point trying to conceal how misogyny was rife when witches were burned at the stake and is still rife in the present day.
The writing style was simple but effective. There were some really gut-wrenching moments and also some beautifully descriptive scenes. The characters were a bit one dimensional, but that didn't detract too much from the book.
The comparison between Maggie and how girls and women are treated today was very on the nose, but not in a bad way. There's no point trying to conceal how misogyny was rife when witches were burned at the stake and is still rife in the present day.
The writing style was simple but effective. There were some really gut-wrenching moments and also some beautifully descriptive scenes. The characters were a bit one dimensional, but that didn't detract too much from the book.