Lately, I have been exclusively reading books with weird women protagonists — and having the time of my life. It’s delightful to read a novel that isn’t afraid to explore an unapologetically strange female protagonist, and I want to share that joy. I recently finished three fiction books and absolutely loved them; they all feature leading women sharing remarkable experiences. From brain damage to imprisonment to obsession, each narrator has a perspective that will take you far beyond your own imagination. I’d encourage anyone to read these books and show compassion for the women we don’t understand — those who challenge social norms, make the wrong choices and exist as the weird, awkward, human messes we can all relate to.
“I Who Have Never Known Men”
“I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman is a haunting, surreal, lonely and deeply human story following a narrator finding meaning in a meaningless and unknown world.
It’s a genre-defying book that doesn’t need to explain itself and will leave you theorizing long after it’s finished.
It opens with a young girl who doesn’t remember a time before being trapped in a cage with 39 adult women. They are under nonstop surveillance by guards who never speak and ensure they’re denied all access to dignity, the outside world and knowledge of how they ended up there. The narrator never stops asking questions, even when the vast majority go unanswered. This book is her fight for purpose within a lifetime of mind-numbing monotony.
Her narration is unique in its matter-of-fact, strange and endlessly curious tone. Her perspective on life is truly one-of-a-kind, created from circumstances far outside the ordinary human experience yet remaining undeniably affecting.
“Sky Daddy”
Open up your mind for “Sky Daddy” by Kate Folk, a laugh-out-loud heartfelt story about an undeniably weird yet lovable woman. It follows Linda, a woman whose very isolated life revolves around her all-consuming erotic obsession with planes.
Her narration is sometimes dryly funny, sometimes deeply sad and often full of sexually
charged descriptions of her favorite planes. Her worldview is absolutely bizarre, with a strict adherence to her belief in destiny, empathy and the spiritual essence of planes.
The greatest dream of Linda’s life is to marry a plane, which means hopping aboard a flight and dying in a plane crash, forever united in death with her airborne soulmate. I promise it’s even more delightfully strange than you’d imagine.
The true heart of this story is Linda’s relationship with her only friend, her coworker Karina — who is terrified of flying. It’s agonizingly tense to watch Linda try to hide her obsession from Karina, scared of losing her best friend. It’s an unflinchingly weird book about one very strange woman who remains fascinating the entire time.
“Hurricane Girl”
“Hurricane Girl” by Marcy Dermansky is tense, funny, anxiety-inducing and an absolute mindbender. It follows Alison, a meek woman learning to assert herself after losing everything and experiencing a shocking act of violence that leaves her with a traumatic brain injury.
A natural people pleaser, Alison struggles to express her feelings about her family and friends’ simultaneous infantilization of her and their refusal to accommodate her new disability.
Throughout your time with this book, you will feel Alison’s constant frustration intertwined with dark humor commentary on the disabled female experience.
The inside of Alison’s head is gut-wrenchingly claustrophobic with her chaotic, often strange thought processes. At the same time, her deadpan and sarcastic inner monologue is hilariously incisive.
“Hurricane Girl” is a fast-paced and compelling read. I won’t spoil the ending, but I swear it gave me heart palpitations.
