Red Hood
In Elana K. Arnold’s Red Hood, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life with her grandma Meme 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.
After I finished Damsel last year, I knew Arnold would deliver again with her latest book. Red Hood covers a lot of ground, from slut shaming, to misogyny, to rape culture, to female sexuality. Arnold draws a connection between the original Red Riding Hood folk tale and today’s society. In the folk tale, Red’s cloak was viewed as a metaphor for her period and the wolf as men. Red fell victim to the wolf because she wasn’t smart enough; she wasn’t “good.” She needed to be rescued by the huntsman.
But in Red Hood, we see that when Bisou gets her period for the first time on homecoming night, that blood makes her stronger, faster – a fighter. She not only saves herself from a wolf, but also other girls.
I like how Arnold uses the metaphor of the wolf in the legend and werewolves in the modern world. We see boys (and men) literally turn into wolves. It’s a good comparison to how deceptive domestic violence is – how men may seem one way in public, but are another when the door closes. I also appreciated how Arnold did clarify through Bisou’s boyfriend that not all men are wolves. There’s always that potential, though.
The friendship that developed between Bisou and two of her fellow classmates was a pleasure to read. I love how they grew closer not only to Bisou, but Meme. They formed their own “coven” and were there for each other during their struggles. I like how more Young Adult books seems to be focusing on friendships between girls; it’s something we need more of!
Reading how Meme became a hunter like Bisou and how she lost her husband and daughter to it was tragic, but it made me wonder if Bisou would eventually tell her boyfriend about her power. Would keeping him in the dark keep her from losing him, or push him away? Would she decide to have children one day, or forgo it like Meme did after Bisou’s mother was born? I was left with so many questions! I can only hope Bisou won’t end up alone like Meme did for so many years.
Red Hood Rating: ★★★★★
After I finished Damsel last year, I knew Arnold would deliver again with her latest book. Red Hood covers a lot of ground, from slut shaming, to misogyny, to rape culture, to female sexuality. Arnold draws a connection between the original Red Riding Hood folk tale and today’s society. In the folk tale, Red’s cloak was viewed as a metaphor for her period and the wolf as men. Red fell victim to the wolf because she wasn’t smart enough; she wasn’t “good.” She needed to be rescued by the huntsman.
But in Red Hood, we see that when Bisou gets her period for the first time on homecoming night, that blood makes her stronger, faster – a fighter. She not only saves herself from a wolf, but also other girls.
I like how Arnold uses the metaphor of the wolf in the legend and werewolves in the modern world. We see boys (and men) literally turn into wolves. It’s a good comparison to how deceptive domestic violence is – how men may seem one way in public, but are another when the door closes. I also appreciated how Arnold did clarify through Bisou’s boyfriend that not all men are wolves. There’s always that potential, though.
The friendship that developed between Bisou and two of her fellow classmates was a pleasure to read. I love how they grew closer not only to Bisou, but Meme. They formed their own “coven” and were there for each other during their struggles. I like how more Young Adult books seems to be focusing on friendships between girls; it’s something we need more of!
Reading how Meme became a hunter like Bisou and how she lost her husband and daughter to it was tragic, but it made me wonder if Bisou would eventually tell her boyfriend about her power. Would keeping him in the dark keep her from losing him, or push him away? Would she decide to have children one day, or forgo it like Meme did after Bisou’s mother was born? I was left with so many questions! I can only hope Bisou won’t end up alone like Meme did for so many years.
Red Hood Rating: ★★★★★