We Were Witches: A Novel

by Ariel Gore

This inspirational “magic-infused narrative . . . is a moving account of a young writer and mother striving to claim her own agency and find her voice” (Publishers Weekly).   Buying into the dream that education is the road out of poverty, a teen mom takes a chance on bettering herself and talks her way into college. But once she’s there, phallocratic narratives permeate every subject.   Wryly riffing on feminist literary tropes, We Were Witches documents the survival of a demonized single lesbian mother as she’s beset by custody disputes, homophobia, and America’s ever-present obsession with shaming unconventional women into passive citizenship.   But even as the narrator struggles to graduate, a question uncomfortably If you’re dealing with precarious parenthood, queer identity, and debt, what is the true narrative shape of your experience?

Genres: Fiction, Queer, Feminism, LGBT, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Audiobook

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2017

About the author

ARIEL GORE is the author of We Were Witches (The Feminist Press, 2017), The End of Eve (Hawthorne Books, 2014), and numerous other books on parenting, the novel The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show, the memoir Atlas of the Human Heart, and the writer’s guide How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead. Farrar, Straus and Giroux will publish Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of Happiness in January 2010.

Reviews

[Carolee Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the center of the story told by Atlas of the Human Heart and the End of Eve. It's magical-realist, magick-al, and real. It's a woman sweeping out her own path, glorious and bright. Read it. Read them all.

I find Ariel's narrative voice incredibly natural, yet affecting; after I read her books (and I read them repeatedly), my thoughts move differently. When I finished this one, I made a rather fussy recipe, but as I did so, under the influence of this book, I felt I was working a spell. Each of these tiny fragrant leaves of thyme is an appreciation of joy. This mound of feathery grated Brussels sprouts is a wish for abundance. The violence of coaxing the juice from this sweet lemon means I have to be strong. And I crush these hazelnuts just enough so that they can be transformed. This is a recipe but it is also hope.

Especially thankful for the reading list in the back of the book. Thank you for making me smarter and softer at the same time, Ariel.

[Sarah Koppelkam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wary of this book because it initially read like some of the disjointed "experimental" fiction-sub-memoir I tried to write in college, which automatically made me think it was going to be bad. But, thankfully, Ariel Gore is a much, MUCH better writer than I, and I ended up devouring this largely in one sitting. It feels particularly timely considering the reemergence of witchcraft into pop culture feminism (and it being October- witching month). Gore's text is labeled a novel, and that is intentional: she wants us to know that the idea of reality doesn't so much matter within the confines of this book. Indeed, there are delightful moments of magical realism throughout. "We Were Witches" is both symmetrical in its use of theme and symbolism, and asymmetrical: it doesn't succumb to the rising and falling plot "phallus" that Gore references, but instead builds and builds and builds upon itself. I was particularly entranced by Gore's snarky re-telling of the fairytale of Rapunzel... just one of the many times throughout this book when Gore both punctured me with the truth of what she said and made me laugh out loud at the same time. The chapters near the end about the normalization and erasure of violence against women are also extremely well done.

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much!
Set in the early nineties it's kinda memoir/fiction about having a baby at 18, going to college, feminism, witchcraft and magic. It's about the power of books, 'family values' and slut shaming. It's a really easy read, but still has so much going on and is really inspirational. There is also a reading list at the back.
One of my favourites this year.

[Nev · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Maybe this could be my new genre: the memoirist’s novel. My words could form a magical spell, like an alchemical furnace, built with the conscious intention of transmuting shame into power."

Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like We Were Witches. It’s part memoir since the main character is named Ariel Gore and has many of the same life experiences as Ariel has had in real life.

But it’s also part fiction with different elements of magical realism and fairytales. And there’s also an inclusion of feminist history and the works of different prominent feminist writers.

Sometimes I don’t like it when a book uses to many quotes from other authors. Occasionally it can come off as pretentious if it’s a character who is trying to show how smart they are by reciting things. But in this case I think it really worked because the quotes were showing what Ariel was reading on her journey learning more about feminism.

Much of the story is about Ariel’s life as a teenage mother and the shame that society places on her because of that. She is working hard to provide for her daughter and continue her education but is still looked down upon by so many people and institutions.

There are so many serious topics handled in this novel from violence against women to poverty and queer female sexuality and I think they were all handled wonderfully. The writing was also gorgeous. There were so many quotes that jumped out at me. And the way she used fairytale stories and magical realism gave the book an interesting flow.

This is the first thing I’ve ever read by Ariel Gore but I definitely want to check out more of her work.

[Scarllet ✦ iamlitandwit · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don't like the fairy tales you've been handed, Ariel, you don't have to conform to them. You can reauthor them. You can write your story however you choose.

We Were Witches by Ariel Gore is part memoir, part fictional story of a single mom in the 90s written in an experimental fragmented way. It was captivating to read because I tend to like unconventional books, esp unconventional books about womanhood and critiques of society/literature canon, etc.
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There were some parts that weren't my favorite - I am more critical nowadays about the kind of feminism that authors write about and that side of the novel particularly didn't draw me in even though there were great points about violence towards women.
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There's also magic and then there's /magick/ & this read has both kinds, including something for everyone who likes the fantastical and witchcraft. But my absolute favorite part was actually whenever there was a scene with Ariel's daughter because Mia was so cute and melted my heart.

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I bought this book from my local bookstore instead of getting it from the library. It's so magically beautiful that I want to lend it to friends, return to the spells in it and try them myself, and look up all the books on the reading list. This is my favorite of any of Ariel's books - and that is saying a lot, because her writing is always exquisite! We Were Witches just soared to the top of my favorite novels I've read this year. Writers seeking to blend poetic language with good plot should check out this as an example of a compulsively readable yet stylistically unique book.

[Susan Gloss · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband bought this book for me at the recommendation of our local bookstore, A Room of One's Own (Madison, WI). I haven't read a feminist text that has made me think outside the box so much since college...AND it was entertaining. I'll be searching for more from this author.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you don’t like the fairy tales you’ve been handed, Ariel, you don’t have to conform to them. You can reauthor them. You can write your story however you choose.”

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed my stop twice on my way to a voiceover job yesterday while listening to this because there are some pretty shocking, in your face moments that catch you off guard. We Were Witches is intentionally messy, magical, unapologetic, demands your full attention and bursting with feminist literary quotes but more than that it is a re-writing of a fairy tale where the “helpless princess” does every other thing she is “supposed” to do to claim her own space in a world that repeatedly shames her for being woman, being witch - being truly her: imperfect and utterly spellbinding.

‘Bruha’ in many languages (including Filipino!) is used to negatively label women as crazy and unkempt. I love how Ariel uses the language created to oppress women for centuries to subvert and unsettle. Embrace the wild feminine bruha in us is the message I received loud and clear. It is a siren song for women who have been violently abused, shamed and ridiculed. We are pure fucking magic, we are witches!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting books I've read lately. Beautiful. Haunting. I rooted for Ariel the whole way.

[Julie Brochmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

leute. jeg annoncerer hermed min længe ventede og højest efterspurgte tilbagekomst til goodreads. “julieee hvor bliver du af” sagde de. “julieee vi savner de reviews”. autografer senere, damer, jeg skulle lige aflevere speciale. peep this review lads! looks like meat is BACK on the menu boyssss

der er noget grundlæggende spændende ved heksefiguren, ved den magt og vrede hun besidder og ikke mindst vælger at udøve, og ved det hun symboliserer som andengjort og udskældt der spores tilbage til kønnet. men der er også noget revisionistisk i scholarship som silvia federicis, der gør heksejagten udelukkende til en kønskamp mere end en klassekamp. og endnu mere noget der skræmmer mig i den “eternal feminine” retorik der gemmer sig (meget åbentlyst) i idéen om en udelukkende kvindelig magi, intuition, krop og femininiteten som hellig. det er et fængsel der udelukker os fra tid og sted og historie, leute. gender essentialism skjult som empowerment: “kvinder har bedre intuition, er mere knyttet til naturen, din krop er en månecyklus”. fremmedgørende i det vi gør os selv til noget andet, omend noget større, end mennesker. simone de beauvoir sagde det i 1949 og i lytter stadig ikke.

kunne ikke helt finde ud af om ariel gore lytter. nogle gange stillede hun spørgsmål ved den diskurs der insisterer på at definere kvindeligheden, sige womyn, komme i kontakt med sin indre feminine magt, som ligeledes definerer hvad det vil sige at være feminin, selvom judith butler udgav gender trouble i 1990. og andre gange, gode gange, kunne den logik ikke forenes med hendes virkelighed som alenemor og ugift og universetsstuderende og vidne til generationer af kvinder, der er bevis på den modsatte kvindelighed. og de kvinder er lige så meget kvinder som hippierne i oakland.

jeg forstår udemærket den tiltrækning af heksens magi, ritualer, naturreligion og spiritualitet som er bygget på jordens form, og som giver agensfattige enlige overførselsindkomstmødre som ariel gore en følelse af selvmagt og kontrol ved at kunne brænde lys når der skal afgøres forældreret i det system der aktivt umyndiggør hende for at nægte sig kernefamilien. men samtidig laver den lighedstegn mellem naturlig som ren/ægte/overlegen og unaturlig som uren/uægte/underlegen. hvorfor er et liv midt i en teknologisk kommunistbetonblok mindre ægte end i et økokollektiv? is this not classist at heart?

anyway. jeg skulle lige overkomme min egen berøringsangst fordi jeg bliver allergisk når bare en anelse af den slags opstår. og fordi jeg ikke synes det er subversion eller radikalt at tilbede labiafigurer frem for phallossymboler. det er stadig biologisk determinisme at helliggøre livmoderen. og det var vel også det ariel gore skulle i sit første semester som hun fint men uden at konkludere på det kommer igennem. & i guess det var mit problem med den udover terf dogwhistling. uvildigheden til at gøre en tanke færdig

[Natalia Murcia Cencerrado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel? Memoir? Fiction? Whatever, there's no point in differentiating.

Ariel manages, in 200 pages, to delve intimately into her teenage years of motherhood while educating the hell out of you. The reader is so easily enthralled by her rhythmic lyricism that it takes one particularly excruciating sentence, drenched in truth, to pierce through that trance. Sexism, homophobia, classism, they all come together hand in hand to slap Ariel alive: "the only alive the doctor knows is crying."

Ariel's mother beat her, her stepdad was kind but submissive, her dad schizophrenic, her grandmother an alcoholic, and her other grandma a bully. What a cocktail party. But through her struggles, she relies on a sort of magic that is not once extrinsically discussed but rather organically imbued into her life throughout the story. Rituals, spells, fish women, and dead authors appearing at odd moments. It's not fiction, it's not magical realism, it's Ariel's lived truth.

Having written a whole dissertation and produced a doc on modern witchcraft, it goes without saying that I just have to love this book. At a dire time when capitalism is soul-crushing and women keep being left behind, witchcraft is a modern woman's scream of resistance against disenchantment, a way to connect with oneself.

[Sophie Kimber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let’s start with the positives. I enjoyed the autobiography-fiction layout of the book, and I thought that the way Gore broke the fourth wall whilst simultaneously continuing the fictuous narrative as well as pushing the overall feminist message was impressive. The novel moved very fast, and I enjoyed the humour, and Gore’s overall writing style.

But I have some… problems with this book. As I read the part where fictional Ariel begins her custody dispute, files a restraining order, starts sessions with the court-assigned therapist, I was HIGHLY skeptical of the court process that was depicted, as well as the behaviour and decisions of the court personnel. As someone who is closely related to a court Judge, I asked.

It was confirmed to me that both Lola and Ariel’s custody/allegation outcomes in this novel are completely inaccurate. My Judge relative, when reading them a passage of the novel describing this plot-point, even used the word “bogus”.

When Ariel and Maia’s father meet with a mediator, the mediator tries to get the father involved in custody and in Maia’s parenting when he openly says he doesn’t want to and isn’t fit to house or raise his child. This is exactly what Ariel wants, because she wants full custody. The point of a mediator is to find common ground and find a consensus where both parties consent. Both parties consented to Ariel’s solo parenting and agreed, the involvement of the mediator’s own personal bias that “children need fathers” is completely inaccurate and would never happen (the demonization of the court system and of mediators?). Mediators do not take sides or involve their personal opinions; they find mutually consensual solutions so that people don’t have to go to court. Bogus.

Also, if a restraining order was placed in a domestic violence category, forcing one parent to drop off the child at the other’s apartment for co-parenting a couple times a week would be completely off the table. In Lola’s sexual assault case, that’s what the judge supposedly recommends, and that’s just completely false and would never happen in a court of law. If Ariel made a restraining order against Lance in the real world, the whole mediator thing would never happen.

Gore, as the author, makes the court trial and the supposed “anti-women” and “anti-LGBT” attitude of the court system a major plot-point and area of discussion in the novel. With the completely inaccurate court response, and the over-dramatized information, it is impossible to then have a nuanced and honest conversation about the treatment of women and systemic violence.

Another issue I wanted to quickly mention is the exposure of Gore’s children and their lives to the public. To write an autobiographical novel that goes into the intimate details of your life and has graphic sex scenes and elements of important figures in your life within it is one thing. But to expose the child’s life (Maia) to the greater public is another. I’m sure that she read and consented to it before the book was published, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

I really wanted to like this novel, because I’ve never explored the “feminist” genre before and also because on the first page she mentions Sylvia Plath, who is my favourite poet. I thought it was meant to be. But I got frustrated with the seemingly aimless plot, and the overdramatized events that I found to actually belittle the women and people who actually go through those things. I wish there had been more discussion about the violence women bestow on other women, because it’s quite prevalent, and it was quickly mentioned at the end and that was it. I found the discussions about how race plays into feminism to be surface level: the mentions of race seemed to be mandatory instead of nuanced.

I can and have absolutely enjoyed nonfiction and fiction books that disagree with my own personal political views. Despite a couple of my views clashing with the ones in We Were Witches, I can respect the ideas and enjoy the story nonetheless. The technicalities and the exposure of Maia and her early life experiences was a bit unsettling for me.

I hope to keep exploring feminist literature and to find something that I really connect with.

[Nathalie Canteli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I am still thinking about this book so I am rating it a 5

Ariel’s writing managed to engulf me from the first page and I almost read this in one sitting. This book was so witchy and so raw; fitting for October and the cold settling in Edinburgh. At first I thought I wasn’t going to get it since the structure and prose of the writing is not what I am used to, but I really enjoyed the style of writing! This book was a memoir, which has made it even more impressionable on me and it was very impactful.

[Avory Faucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little startled by how much I related to Ariel Gore’s new novel, We Were Witches, out now from The Feminist Press. Deeply embedded in Gore’s experience with young motherhood, I thought I might like the story but expected to distance myself from it given the femininity of the topic. But this tale is deliciously queer in both form and function, and speaks to emotions I’ve certainly felt but found difficult to name.

In accessible language and with a playful narrative framework, Gore leaves the experience of shame cut open and dripping blood onto the page. But at the same time, she reminds us that only living things bleed, and reshapes that shame into resistance. “What does shame require to stay alive?” she asks. “What is the antidote to shame?”

Blending a personal journey with political questions, this story reminds us that even white women are not served by White Feminism, and the narrative complicates any nostalgia towards 90s feminism. Gore’s story reminds us that women can also be brutal and that whiteness can be a prerequisite for mainstream feminist protest, that seeking protection for a child can mean forced re-insertion into a heteropatriarchal structure even where the patriarch didn’t ask for it. Ariel in the story experiences both deeply personal, specific pains and the weight of oppressing systems that defy happy endings and leave some questions unanswered. This is a book about shame and magic, violence and motherhood. It’s not (entirely) a true story, but it plays with the question of what is true.

Disclosure: The publisher provided an Advanced Reading Copy of this book for review.

[Chananja · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was cool! a sort of memoir-not-memoir, personal story mixed with a lot of magic, magick, feminist theory, comments on writing and motherhood, and lesbianism. i loved the narrator's voice and the non-traditional experimental narrative, and its comments on traditional narratives (i thought the sort of feminist deconstruction of freytag's pyramid and the inclusive and sensitive construction of something to replace it was a bit forced, but charming in the way it kept coming back). the plotline was lovely, the magic(k) well written, cool stuff on shame, cool stuff on writing and motherhood and paradoxes, femmes supporting eachother, very 90s. dont know how the mc just kept going but i guess she had to. i thought sometimes the direct quoting from feminist literature was a bit out of place and kind of cringey, and i think i would've loved this book more if i'd read it a few years ago.

[Phoenix Perpetuale · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Were Witches, written and narrated by Ariel Gore. At the beginning of the novel, I thought about giving only three stars. However, in the end, I found myself stoned with the book. It captivated me in the listening and how it is valid for women in poverty, choose to be it like that all powers above the material is what the heroine is choosing. The situation of the main character is not envied. But, I could learn a thing or two from how she is choosing her life, how she manages her problems. The narration made by the author herself is calming and smooth.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book you want to pass around to everyone you know. So smart and good and sad and true and special.

[Renae W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much that I started reading from the beginning as soon as I finished.

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very quickly learning that I love auto fiction. Not to keep bringing up A Tale For The Time Being, but We Were Witches reminded me of that book in the way that both authors insert so much of themselves and their real world into their protagonists and fictional worlds. Another commonality is how much they play with form. I love the way Ariel Gore interlaces her narrative chapters with a more experimental lists, meditations, college essays. Otherwise, they’re very different books.

One that I think it is more similar to is The Simple Art of Killing a Woman: these books are not subtle in the slightest about their feminisms. Every theme, motif, symbol, metaphor packs a punch. But curiously, this heavy-haded writing feels refreshingly honest,—and forgive me for drawing yet another comparison, but—much in the same way as BRAT. I think Gore achieved in her reflections on feminist theory and retellings of fairytales what I was hoping for from Gunk Baby.

But let me let We Were Witches stand on its own for a second. I really enjoyed this book.

It invoked in me a certain nostalgia for my university days. I loved reading snippets, old and new, by Audre Lorde & co, embellished so thought-provokingly by Gore. And yet, amongst all this intellect, the story is ultimately so unpretentious, honest and emotional.

Though I wasn’t alive to see it myself, from what I understand, Gore captured so accurately the 90s feminist resistance movement in the US, particularly on the West Coast. I somehow missed the exact time setting until quite close to the end, but it made perfect sense.

In this on short book, Ariel Gore managed to be critical and faithful, academic and spiritual, grounded and fantastical. I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything quite like it.

(strong 4.5)

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as an ebook from my library and I think I'd like to buy it, read it again, and write all over it. Didn't expect myself to enjoy it as much as I did but here we are. Did not realize it was a fictionalized memoir and not just straight up fiction until a few pages in. I wish someone had given me a trigger warning for Maia's birth in the beginning and all of the trauma but I kept reading and I'm glad for it.

[ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it makes me want to do more in the world. I never expected to even like this, but I got sucked in. This is like a memoir but I just love how it's written. It's heart-wrenchingly real and reading some sections was like getting punched because of how impactful the words were. I want to do better and read up on all the things she reads in the book because it was so thought-provoking and I just !!! can't even put into words.

It's really intense, but it's also so sweet at the same time. It's wholesome because it's this young mother trying to do her best and your heart really goes out for her. I just want her to be okay. I want to be as strong and brave as her. So that's why I liked this book. I think the best type of books make you think about them for a long time afterwards, and this is definitely one of those. I love that she put the English papers so wrote for class in between, I love the random lists and I love that she just wrote about her life. I want to read more by her. Immediately.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, clever, heartbreaking and emboldening. Should be mandatory reading for all moms, queers, and Bay Area residents...especially for those of us who straddle the middle of that Venn diagram.

[Susan DeFreitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are game changers, in that they actually change the rules of the game. This hybrid novel/memoir thing by Ariel Gore not only does that for long-form prose, it might just do that for–well, the feminist imagination? Our ability talk about, see, smell, or taste patriarchy–which, after all, is nearly as ubiquitous (and often as invisible to us) as air? I could go on. (I have, in fact, at some length, over at LitReactor.) This book chronicles the protagonist’s struggles and triumphs as an unwed teenage mother (cuz if you want to get the ass end of patriarchy and capitalism, that’s definitely the way to do it) trying to go college, which is what society tells her she should do, despite the fact that society seems to have no interest whatsoever in actually helping her do it. From the welfare shamers to the bitchy neighbors to the court system, it’s one hell of a gauntlet young Ariel must run. Luckily, she’s met by fellow nonconformists—freaks and punks and feminists and such, as well as a bona fide witch—who offer her help, hope, and tactics. May we all be so blessed in the New Year.

[Macartney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been able to read much in the last 7 months since my appendicitis. No book has really been able to grab me. Soon my attention diverts elsewhere, making finishing a book a truly monumental task. However, Ariel Gore's WE WERE WITCHES lifted my curse, leaving me enraptured, spellbound and eagerly wanting to devour more. Enough cannot be said for this gem of a book that is equal parts memoir, feminist treatsie, coming-of-age fantasia, and ode to single moms. I cried, I laughed, I learned, I shook, I dreamed, I loved, I died and was reborn. Instant classic. Going to read everything by Gore now. And once again: the Feminist Press is kicking ass and taking names. No one publishing better work. Brava to the imprint and its authors, including the wondrous Gore. Attention must be paid.

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read two books last year with "witches" in the title and they were both disappointing. This was the book I hoped for: intersectional feminism, magic, spells, beauty, pain.

This is gorgeous. I devoured it. It lit me up in a way that few works of fiction have in a while, where I wasn't escaping from anything while I read but seeing the magic that gets us through our shittiest days and transmutes our greatest shames into celebrations.

[Melissa Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had read this book around 2016-2017 it would have been monumental for me in that the realm of feminism wasn’t fully tapped in or had exposure to. Still a good reinforcing read about the bewitching struggles and livelihood of women universally!

[Emily Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me want to have a daughter so I can read her feminist literature instead of classic fairytales

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest and say not sure I know what I just listened to, but I liked it. The lines between fiction and memoir were messy and blurred but also magical.

This book tells the story of a teenage mom who is trying to find her place in a world that tells her she needs a man or a husband. She's fighting systems that want to take her child from her and that systemically keep her poor. She's learning to live beyond those systems and rewrite the fairy tales she's been told.

This book is full of feminism and queerness and fairytale retellings (that had me dying because they were so accurate). There's quotes and excerpts from feminist scholars and papers from when she was in college.

I'd definitely recommend this one if you enjoyed In the Dream House by Carmen Machado. It has very similar vibes and is just as captivating (and confusing for me).

TW: the book opens with a very graphic and violent description of childbirth and genital mutilation. There's also other graphic descriptions of blood and violence and rape.

[Maggie Micklo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely one of the most wonderfully written books I have ever read. I loved everything about this book — the fairytales, the feminist theory, the college essays. Most importantly, I loved Ariel and Maia and the way they survived together. And the witches! and magic! and lesbians!