This story can be described as bloody and brilliant. My favourite thing about Elana K. Arnold’s books is that they’re so unapologetically meant for the empowerment of young women. I relished diving into the world of Red Hood after reading Damsel, because I couldn’t wait to see what world Arnold would craft for us. She manages to turn the narrative of the Little Red Riding Hood and imbues it with the strength of a woman instead of a man. If you’re not here to see fierce women take down toxic masculinity, this might not be the book for you. However, if you’re here to see women dismantle a hostile system never meant to empower them in the first place, then you’ve come to the right place. Now, if you’re easily triggered by themes of sexual assault and murder, you might approach this book with caution. I loved this book, but I will admit that it does come on strong, but if you think you can handle it, I highly recommend that you add this to your TBR.
Bisou Martel has been in her grandmother’s care since she was four years old. They’ve lived a nice and quiet life in Seattle, but on the night of Homecoming, she finds herself running for her life in the woods, chased by a wolf with a mouth full of teeth and vicious claws. Bisou fights back, and as the new moon rises, so do questions about the blood in her veins and on her hands. She’ll navigate through broken boys and vicious wolves, and the lost girls who are afraid, but not alone. This isn’t the bedtime story that I grew up reading, that’s for certain.
Despite the modern setting, Red Hood holds a similar storytelling to Damsel, one that makes you feel as though you’re in a dream. Our narrator, Bisou, is getting ready for the Homecoming Dance with her boyfriend of six months. Parties aren’t really her thing, and she doesn’t care for some of the guys that on her boyfriend’s basketball team, but she’s willing to put that to the side to hang out with him. After the dance she and her boyfriend head into the woods where things begin to get heated, but it’s at that moment that she starts her period. It is at this moment that the true story begins, as she runs out of the car mortified, into the woods, where she encounters the vicious wolf and finds the strength to fight back. The next day, she finds out that one of the boys at her school has been killed in the woods, but it can’t have been Bisou…can it?
I honestly can’t go into too much more of this story without spoiling some major plot points, but what I can tell you is that it is a story that sinks its claws in and doesn’t let go. Arnold doesn’t hesitate in viscerally describing a young woman’s menstrual cycle. There is no shame in the act, and I found something so liberating about seeing how this is used as an empowering tool throughout the story. Bisou is learning about her body, and that is completely okay. Consent is another topic that is also thoroughly discussed in this book, and let me tell you, I was definitely here for some of the softer boys that Elana K. Arnold presented to us.
This story handles the topic of toxic masculinity very well in my opinion, particularly in how it affects young women. From vilifying young women for their sexual nature or for speaking out against their aggressors, we get to focus on how it affects women. More importantly, I got to see what happens when women support each other in the face of this. It was so strengthening to see the female friendships develop in this way. There were a couple of moments that I found questionable,but overall, this story was amazing.
Something that I didn’t love about this story was in the way that something was addressed. I honestly can’t say more than this without spoiling the story, but I just think if it had been framed in a different way it might have made the story better. While I loved how this story is told, I can also say that it may be off-putting to some readers. Which is okay, but I think everyone who is even remotely interested and wouldn’t be triggered should read this.
This story is a 9/10 for me. It’s captivating and empowering, striving to show women to support one another and fight alongside each other in the face of toxic masculinity. I urge you to pick it up if you can, and definitely comment or contact me if you’d love to scream about it alongside me. Add it to your TBR!
Red Hood is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of February 25th 2020.
Will you be picking up Red Hood? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked.
And the wolf is angry.
Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her. A wolf attacks. Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions. About the blood in Bisou’s past and on her hands as she stumbles home. About broken boys and vicious wolves. About girls lost in the woods—frightened, but not alone.
Elana K. Arnold, National Book Award finalist and author of the Printz Honor book Damsel, returns with a dark, engrossing, blood-drenched tale of the familiar threats to female power—and one girl’s journey to regain it.
