Outlawed
I was never considering jumping on the Outlawed bandwagon. I am a Reese's Book Club fan and a big RW fan, but this one didn't seem for me – and of course – like all books I read, I didn't read the summary or make this decision based on any actual information.
As I started to hear more, mainly that it was a story dealing with fertility issues, and some hailed it an essential story for our time. I decided to reserve it at the library. A book this popular among suburban housewives would take a long time to get, right? Not at all, it was available almost immediately, and that's how this suburban housewife encountered Outlawed.
It's 1894, and 17 year old Ada just wants to have a normal, quiet life. She loves her husband, sisters, and mama and is ready to start a family. Still, after a year of trying with no luck, an outbreak of measles, and several local miscarriages, it's decided by law enforcement that Ada is most likely a witch.
To avoid being hung, she sets out to forge a new life path, which leads her to the Hole in the Wall Gang, run by a nonbinary, and wanna be preacher – the Kid.
I found the beginning 100 pages of Outlawed slow and long. How could a book of 260 pages be taking days to read? The second half, though, was a ride. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt connected to Ada and the Whole in the Wall Gang. I rooted for them, and I wanted them to succeed.
It is important to note that some strongly disagree with how the queer representation is presented in this story – if you would like to learn more, I suggest you read the one and two star reviews on Goodreads. I am glad I did, as there were several problematic scenes that had created some discomfort for me, but I, unfortunately, did not see its full extent at that time.
However, I disagree that this is an anti-feminist story in disguise based on the characters' obsessions with marriage, pregnancy, and stereotypical gender roles. The story is set in 1894/1895, and these beliefs are in tune with the era. Looking past the slow start and many issues with Ada herself, definitely one of my least favourite characters, we can look at the good that comes from The Kid, Cassie, News, and Lark. While not completely rounded characters, they each hold a vital role in the story.
I think Outlawed is worth the read, but I still believe that you should go into it knowing the whole story by taking time to read the reviews.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
A BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK
Amazon Synopsis
In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.
The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada’s life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.
She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she’s willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.
Featuring an irresistibly no-nonsense, courageous, and determined heroine, Outlawed dusts off the myth of the old West and reignites the glimmering promise of the frontier with an entirely new set of feminist stakes. Anna North has crafted a pulse-racing, page-turning saga about the search for hope in the wake of death, and for truth in a climate of small-mindedness and fear.
