I have author and essayist, Samantha Irby, to thank for picking up this brilliant book.
“Every three-hundred years or so, our kind get loosed upon an unsuspecting world. And this time around, the history books would know us as the 1989 Danvers High School Women’s Varsity Field Hockey Team. Be. Aggressive. B-E aggressive.”
Following a girls’ field hockey team, We Ride Upon Sticks creates an oasis of 80s nostalgia, witchcraft, and well, field hockey. Set in the 1980s, when big hair and bangles were all the rage, a different kind of storm rages in the Danvers High girls’ locker room. Willing to do anything to make it to the state finals, one Danvers Falcons player decides to make a dark oath to secure the trophy. One by one, the other players sign their names into the “dark book” (which is really just a spiral-ringed notebook featuring Emilio Estevez on the cover) and tie a strip of blue fabric around their bicep in allegiance to the team and the darkness. What happens next is too incredible to spoil here.
Told from the perspective of each player, the novel follows the progress and transformation of each character and the collective “we” of the team, as they form a hive of telepathy and loyalty that will give new meaning to school-age promises made with friendship bracelets. Ultimately, they must discover if they are making their own magic or if there really is something to Emilio…
Beautifully written with dazzling dialogue, multidimensional characters, mysterious plots (and subplots), and hilarious narration from the collective “we,” We Ride Upon Sticks was my favorite book of 2020. Seamlessly blending female empowerment, humor, and Salem history, while also addressing slut-shaming, homophobia and stereotypes, Barry writes a reality with a supernatural twist that is impossible to put down.
Found on several best books lists for 2020, including NPR, TIME, and Book Riot as well as voted one of Literary Hub’s “Our 65 Favorite Books of 2020,” We Ride Upon Sticks is a hidden gem and must-read. I’m sure Emilio would agree with me.
“Field field field. Hockey hockey hockey.”
We Ride upon Sticks by
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