Female rage has gained popularity across all media in recent years. While women’s anger has been used in storytelling for centuries, it often mirrored gender stereotypes and maladaptive types of rage.
These female rage characters showcase adaptive or constructive types of rage. They’re victims of a larger societal issue and enact vengeance on their oppressor. They are willing to get their hands dirty and be their own savior, even if it means they become the villain or are perceived as one. It can also be a means for the character to stand up for themselves or others and provide a sense of empowerment.
Check out one of these novels to experience these complex female characters and the rage they portray.
The Escape Room by Megan Goldin
Thrilling and suspenseful, this debut novel from Goldin takes place in an elevator. You won’t miss the lack of setting, when four cutthroat financiers recognize the elevator has been set up as an escape room and are forced to work together to escape. As the puzzles grow increasingly personal, they realize this may be more than a poorly designed team-building exercise. How much does this have to do with a recently murdered co-worker?
The Power by Naomi Alderman
An award-winning piece of science fiction, The Power depicts a world taken over by a mysterious force that gives women and girls the power to channel electricity as a weapon. Told from the perspective of several characters from around the world, the novel tackles the question, “What happens when the balance of power shifts?” Will these women be kinder, gentler rulers compared to their male counter parts or will they be just as ruthless?
The Witch of Tin Mountain by Paulette Kennedy
Set in depression-era Arkansas, blood and power bind three generations of women in the Ozark Mountains. However, so does an evil that’s followed them across the decades. Gracelynn lives with her adoptive granny helping her make cures for their community. When an evangelist arrives and promises prosperity to the town, granny falls into a strange coma. As danger heightens, Gracelynn is forced to choose to flee or confront the preacher whose mission is to destroy her.
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
Joan has experienced a lot of violence at the hands of men. When one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she leaves New York City in search of a person who can help her make sense of her past. That person is Alice, and in the hills of Los Angeles, she unravels Joan’s horrific trauma which gives Joan the power to finally strike back.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Amy disappeared from her Missouri mansion on her 5th wedding anniversary, and it seems her husband Nick is to blame. He was not a model husband, but he proclaims his innocence even though he doesn’t seem to be telling the entire truth. Twisted and intricately plotted, this story is not just one of a disappearance, but of a marriage gone sour and the toxicity that comes with it.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Book
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea Summers
Dorothy Daniels is a successful food writer. After accidently killing a lover with her car, she decides to give in to her cannibalistic urges and eats his liver. She then murders every lover moving forward to satiate her need for the unthinkable and to fight against the male dominated industry she works in. Pick up this twisted and violent tale and watch the horrors unfold as Dorothy tells you of her life from her prison cell. *Content warning – graphic sex and violence*