You Must Force the World
A review of Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls.
Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls delivers a haunting yet empowering tale set against the backdrop of a 1970s teen maternity home. Following a pregnant girl named Fern, the novel begins by following the home’s temporary residents as they navigate teen pregnancy in an environment marked by rigid control and shame, before sharply pivoting as the girls stumble upon an occult book that promises liberation through witchcraft. What begins as an exploration of forbidden power evolves into a gripping narrative about sisterhood, agency and the cost of defiance.
After being essentially banned by her father at the home in rural Florida, Fern is forced to adapt quickly to a new lifestyle in the months before her baby is born. With a new name and a fake identity, Fern must befriend other pregnant girls under an almost militaristic reign by Miss Wellwood, whose rules discourage individuality and enforce silence about the girls’ circumstances. When the local bookmobile makes its monthly visit, Fern’s relationship with the other girls transforms after the librarian gives Fern a book about witchcraft. Together, the girls begin to practice spells as a form of reclamation, which soon escalate to unleash both a newfound sense of empowerment and unintended, dark consequences.
“You can’t beg the world to do what you want. You can’t ask it nicely. You must force the world. You must bend it to your will. That’s what the book teaches.”
Hendrix masterfully builds his character’s arcs, turning what can be a slow read before the occult introduction into a character study. Fern, the protagonist, evolves from a disempowered and isolated girl into a symbol of rebellion and autonomy as she leads her friends in defiance against institutional control. Her friends—Holly, Zinnia and Rose—are equally well-drawn, embodying different facets of resistance and vulnerability. Holly’s defiance, Zinnia’s quiet strength and Rose’s forwardness create a dynamic portrayal of sisterhood through camaraderie and conflict, which also contributes to the juxtaposition of sisterhood against the anonymity forced upon the girls by the home.
Magic’s role in the novel is also fascinating, acting as a nuanced commentary on the search for personal agency as well as the resistance to societal subjection under patriarchal control. Hendrix does not merely present magic as a straightforward means of empowerment; instead, it carries moral ambiguity and inevitable reverberations. The girls’ pursuits in the occult against the Wellwood House are complicated by unforeseen, sometimes dangerous, magical outcomes, serving as a stark reminder that seeking freedom within an institution built to suppress it can come with a high price. Hendrix does not shy away from exploring the weight of that cost, though he does not present it as evil, either. This tension between liberation and consequence heightens the novel’s stakes, pushing readers to consider how society seeks to keep individuals, especially women, in check.
Hendrix’s balance of dark humor, supernatural elements and poignant character arcs invites readers to reflect on the complex relationship between freedom, control and female oppression, leaving them with the remnants of haunting caution.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix comes is out now and is featured on our 2025-2025 Fall/Winter Reading List.
