Leave A Window Open

The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a very charming contemporary fantasy novel that I adored.

As the novel opened, I sank into its’ pages, cocooned with love, and enchanted by the tale to the very end.

The setting is mainly at Nowhere House in Norfolk, which “was… a place made up of fractured pieces that, somehow, had come together to make something whole and wonderful.” It is a house that has become a home to its’ various inhabitants from all sorts of different walks of life. Love is the glue that binds them all together.

Into this atmosphere comes Mika, a young woman who has been hurt throughout her life. For her safety when she was young, a variety of nannies were employed – the result has been isolation and a lack of love. Mika draws away from feelings, knowing that hurt will follow (in her experience). “Mika has been so deeply hurt that she has taught herself to run before she can lay down roots… all you can do is leave a window open… so that one day, if [she chooses], [she] can come back.” Mika is crying out to be loved and to know that there are people who will love her and want her to love them too. “It’s leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved.”

We learn about the desire not just for a house but for a home. “I want one place I can be myself. I just want a home.” We all long to belong and be loved.