Despite not having read any of the previous books in Maria Lewis’ Supernatural Sisters series, I’ve heard a great many positive things about them and it meant I came to The Wailing Woman excited and intrigued. I wasn’t let down.
Told from the perspectives of Tex, an Askari (a stazi-like policeman for the supernatural community), and Sadie, a banshee who is rendered mute by the Askari to silence her dangerous wail, the story reunites the two characters ten years after the act of violence removes Sadie’s voice. As they are irrevocably drawn to one another, the truth about the Askari, and the banshees, threatens everything they hold dear.
Although this is the fourth book in the series, it serves as a standalone. There were obvious moments when characters from previous books entered, but I didn’t feel enormously bereft of knowledge for having not read their backstories, and I was appreciative of that. In fact, all it really served to do was whet my appetite to go back and delve into their respective books.
Setting the supernatural world entirely alongside the human world is a clever way to ground the series, and Lewis does so with excellent clarity, providing the sense of a very real and very complete world, conveyed effectively. It’s worldbuilding at its finest, with the telling completely matter-of-fact, and thus the depth and extent of the world as it extends beyond the book being believable, and interesting.
The general theme of the subjugation of women by men who seek to conceal from women the extent of their own power was a really beautifully explored one, particularly because there were various male characters (such as Tex) who clearly weren’t part of that anachronistic patriarchal structure but were instead fighting for a better, more equal world. The symbolism of Sadie being muted can’t go unnoticed, given this. It’s an interesting take on discussions about female empowerment and finding your ‘voice’ or inner power, and Sadie’s discovery of the extent of her power both as a person and as a banshee reflects this in a clever way that managers to avoid being on the nose. Moreover, Lewis teases this out without any of the tropes that accompany the ‘sudden realisation of inner power’. The groundwork is laid early, the characters consistently reflect upon this, and then it comes to fruition. It’s great storytelling, and clever writing.
In fact, this is in keeping with much of the book – getting to the point with few associated clichés attaching themselves to the telling, or indeed, the point. Lewis keeps the story moving quickly, giving moments of drama or tension at frequent intervals. While this pulls the reader along, at times it arguably does so at the expense of offering certain aspects of backstory. For example, we never learn why Sadie’s sister, Sorcha, broke the Covenant (the rule which states banshees, who can foresee death, must not forewarn people of what they see), or what exactly happened with the ship from which she disappeared. The absence of any further explanation was frustrating, especially as the manner in which Sorcha’s disappearance was discussed suggested there was definitely more to the story. It may not have been strictly relevant to the plot, but it has continued to niggle at me even after finishing the book. I was actually very keen for that particular reveal, so to be denied was annoying.
It feels very much as though there will be a sequel to The Wailing Woman, as there is much left unfinished at the book’s conclusion. Yet the book ends in much the same way that it begins – complementing to the previously mentioned theme of female subjugation was to me, the book’s strongest aspect, the support women provide one another in an unconditional, loving manner. The book thus ends and begins in the same manner; by emphasising the power and incredible experience that comes when women support one another. The most laudable thing about the manner in which Lewis constructs this is that it doesn’t rub the reader’s face in this message, but instead gently and beautifully shows how wonderful it is.
It’s one of the reasons I’m very excited to read the rest of Lewis’ work.
The Wailing Woman is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A brand new title from the bestselling author of WHO’S AFRAID? Maria Lewis is reinventing ghosts, werewolves and witches with a contemporary, feminist twist.
Good girls don’t talk back. Good girls don’t cry. Good girls don’t scream.
Sadie Burke has been forced to be a good girl her entire life. As a banshee, she’s the bottom of the ladder when it comes to the supernatural hierarchy. Weak. Condemned. Powerless. Silent. That’s what she and her six sisters have been told their entire lives, since their species was first banished from Ireland.
Yet when a figure from her childhood unexpectedly arrives on the scene, Sadie finds it harder than ever to toe the line.
Texas Contos is the son of their greatest oppressor. He’s also someone she’s inexplicably drawn to, and as they grow closer, Sadie begins to question what banshees have been told for centuries about their gifts.
But the truth comes at a cost. With Sadie and Tex forced to run for their lives, their journey leads them to new friends, old enemies, and finally to her true voice – one that could shatter the supernatural world forever.
