I picked up A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin on a whim last week at the Eastham library (a Cape favorite!) and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed Hankin’s humorous take on “girlboss” culture and her satirical representation of white feminism and the harm that it causes.
This book is about a journalist, Jillian, who is feeling disheartened after losing her mom and her job within a few months of each other. To distract herself from grief and to try to reignite her media career, she decides to weasel herself into New York’s most elusive and exclusive feminist club, Nevertheless, in an attempt to expose the most influential women in the city. Some way, somehow, she manages to get an invite to more than just the club.. Will budding friendships and closeness to power steer her off course from her original goal in joining Nevertheless? Or will dark secrets fuel the fire inside of her?
Hankin’s portrayal of NYC socialites was witty and clever in such a subtle way. She called out privilege and ignorance without blatantly stating it. Her satire is tasteful in such a way that her point comes across without even trying. The takeaways of this novel were clear- an impressive feat with such a dramatic plot line (think: galas, midnight kidnappings, and unexpected romance). A Special Place for Women sets it straight once and for all- white feminism and girlboss culture are more of a hindrance for progress than they are helpful when it comes to equality, anti-racism, and anti-classism.
“The hypocrisy of them all, saying that they need a safe space just for women while excluding all the women who need sisterhood the most.”
I genuinely never knew where this book was going, only that I couldn’t put it down. Immediately upon finishing it I googled if there were any upcoming movie deals, and there are!! Here’s to hoping Beau Garrett (from A Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce and Firefly Lane on Netflix!) will be cast as Margot… I can’t think of anyone better!
One critique I do have about this book is the ending. I wished for a little more vengeance. I’ll leave it at that!
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
xx, Lauren
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