The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Sangu Mandanna

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Chapters 25-30

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Importance of Family

The significance of having a support network in the form of family, found or otherwise, is an ever-present theme in the novel as Mika finds herself in a familial setting for the first time. In Chapter 1, Mika describes her upbringing with Primrose as having “very little in the way of companionship or love” (5) because her nannies and tutors constantly changed. The lack of a permanent, stable family environment made her life incredibly lonely and taught her to guard herself from getting close to others. Because she doesn’t know what she’s missing, she doesn’t see the value of family until she experiences being part of one.

As Mika gets to know the people of Nowhere House, this theme develops through the way the house’s residents support one another and extend their love to Mika. In Chapter 11, she learns how Jamie and Lucie escaped bad situations before coming to Nowhere House and realizes that the house was “a place made up of fractured pieces that, somehow, had come together to make something whole and wonderful” (125). This informs the idea that family has a flexible definition and can be a support system for hard times. Shortly after acknowledging that Nowhere House is its own found family of people making each other’s lives better, Mika is officially inducted into the group when Ian announces that he’s ending Mika’s trial period early. Mika “had never felt so welcomed and included, so much a part of something” (130). The warmth and happiness Mika feels at being part of the Nowhere House family develop the idea that family is an important source of happiness and personal fulfillment.

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The narrative again emphasizes the significance of family with the looming threat of the Nowhere House residents being torn apart by Edward, Lillian’s will, or Primrose, given that each has the authority to do so. When Jamie reveals Lillian’s death to Mika and explains how dire the situation is, he declares, “The girls are ours and we’re theirs. We’re their family. We can’t lose them” (257). Despite Mika’s pain at being lied to for weeks, she chooses to help with the Edward problem because she has come to understand just how special it is to belong to a family and be surrounded by love. Mika communicates this idea to Primrose in the book’s final chapters.

In Chapter 29, once Primrose has dealt with Edward, Mika goes toe to toe with Primrose, confronting her on her rules that prevent witches from assembling families like the one Mika has become a part of. Mika argues, “How can we possibly exist alone in this world when you know how much we need each other?” (305). Mika adds that she has “had a glimpse into a happier kind of life than anything I’ve known before” (305). Having spent her time at Nowhere House and bonded with each of its members, Mika realizes that the warmth of this familial affection and real love can fill the void she felt without such permanence. Mika understands that the joy she now feels is how the other residents of Nowhere House feel, and she can’t take that away from any of them—not even herself. Her standing up to Primrose and the old rules shows how powerful the love and support of family can be, since the thought of losing them encourages Mika to find her voice against a powerful authority.

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Ultimately, the novel develops the idea that family plays a significant role in one’s overall happiness and can be a source of healing, support, and unconditional love. In addition, the narrative illustrates that family members aren’t necessarily related by blood, given that the strongest familial bonds in the book occur among eight people who have no biological relationship but inhabit the same house and dedicate themselves to one another’s well-being.

Freedom Versus Safety

The narrative explores freedom versus safety primarily through Primrose’s rigid adherence to long-standing traditions and Mika’s impulses to defy them. Chapter 1 establishes that “[t]here could be no connection between any of [the witches], no visits, no texts, no emails” because Primrose “was of the firm opinion that Rules would keep them all safe and so those Rules really ought to be followed” (2). Primrose has prohibited the witches from maintaining connections with one another because she believes it’s the only way to keep them all safe. Primrose regularly uses phrases like “[a]lone is the only way we survive” (189) to emphasize how important it is for witches to remain apart and obey the rules given threats from community members who fear and thus persecute witches and also the dangers that can arise from too much magical power gathering in one place.

Mika, having been raised by Primrose, has always willingly obeyed Primrose’s rules, though she has behaved in ways that Primrose considers risky, like her internet videos, which is how Ian finds Mika. Mika’s suspicion and surprise throughout Chapter 2 illustrate how completely out of the ordinary it is for witches to live together or be contacted by other witches. Mika initially refuses to believe that Ian is talking about three actual young witches living together because it’s against the rules, and Mika has been told her entire life how dangerous it is. However, once Mika learns about the girls and recalls her own lonely upbringing and having no one to share magic with, she chooses to break the rules and accept the risk that comes with witches being together.

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Primrose elaborates on the reason for her strict rules in Chapter 16 when she reveals why witches are orphans: They used to practice magic together, but one day, 53 witches cast a spell to protect young witches—and it backfired. Now, to prevent dangerous magic outbursts—and to prevent witches from being tracked down through one another—they meet only periodically, several times a year, and never have any contact outside that. Additionally, witches must keep their identities a secret, even from their most trusted loved ones, lest the loved one turn on them or inadvertently share that knowledge. Primrose refuses to break with tradition because “accidents are inevitable when too much power gathers in one place” (188), adding that “[i]n this world, someone’s always watching. How long do you think we could keep our secret?” (189). Despite Primrose’s points, Mika chooses to continue to put herself at risk by staying at Nowhere House and helping the girls.

Through her time helping the young witches, Mika learns that it’s not particularly hard to mitigate the risks. She tells Primrose, “I know for a fact that an adult witch is perfectly capable of keeping one child’s power in check” (306), showing how she has learned that the risks aren’t as great as Primrose claimed they are. Mika explains that while she has seen some catastrophes, she has “also had a glimpse into a happier kind of life than anything I’ve known before” (305). Mika has realized that a world of happiness can be found in allowing others to know about magic and connecting with other witches. Primrose replies, “I suppose you would argue that happiness is worth any risk” (305), to which Mika agrees that it is. Mika’s realization—that the happiness she experiences by being connected with other witches is worth the risks involved—develops the theme that the freedom to pursue happiness is worth forgoing safety and taking risks to accomplish.

Letting Others In

The novel explores opening oneself up and letting others in through characters like Mika, Jamie, and Terracotta, developing the idea that letting others in, while scary, can lead to positive outcomes. This theme also develops through the motif of windows as a symbol of being open to letting others in.

Because of how Mika was raised, with no permanent companionship under rules that prevented her from being herself with others, she has difficulty allowing people into her life: “I couldn’t fall in love with someone who didn’t know I was a witch. […] It’s why I never stay long in any one place, and never stay in touch with anyone I happen to meet while I’m there” (123). Mika adds that she wishes she could let people in, but “if I tell them the truth, I’ll probably lose them” (123). Mika’s fears—that people will leave when they get to know her, that they won’t think she’s good enough—explain why she has a hard time letting others in. Additionally, in Chapter 17, Mika reveals that her ex-boyfriend, as well as some of her former caretakers, took advantage of her magic once they learned about it and used Mika for their own gain. Because of these experiences, Mika finds it easier to not form lasting connections to prevent herself from getting hurt. Mika’s fears illustrate the idea that letting others in is scary because it can lead to heartbreak.

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Jamie’s fears parallel Mika’s. Once he starts developing feelings for her, he worries that “If anyone has the power to tear me apart, I think it’s her” (212). Jamie finds it scary to fall for Mika because he’s giving her the ability to hurt him by letting her in. When Jamie seeks Ken’s advice for dealing with these fears, Ken points out, “Mika has been so deeply hurt that she has taught herself to run before she can lay down roots” but adds that “when someone leaves, all you can do is leave a window open for them so that one day, if they choose, they can come back” (213). Ken’s observations about Mika and advice about leaving a window open develop the idea that one must be open to letting others in if one wants to create lasting connections with others. In the end, Mika and Jamie both learn to let one another in despite their fears. Through their love and support of one another, they help each other through traumas. Their relationship foregrounds the theme of letting others in by showing how forming connections with one another, while scary, can help people grow into stronger versions of themselves.

Another vehicle for this idea is Terracotta’s arc with Mika. In Chapter 4, Terracotta expresses her anger at the decision to bring Mika into Nowhere House. She jokes about plotting Mika’s murder and, when pressed, admits, “I don’t trust her” (49). Although Terracotta has never met Mika and has no reason not to trust her, Terracotta is protective of her life and family at Nowhere House. The young girl digs into this attitude, refusing to attend lessons and trying to undermine Mika at every turn. Terracotta’s refusal to let Mika in culminates in disaster when Terracotta teaches herself to levitate to prove that she doesn’t need Mika. When Terracotta can’t get down by herself, Mika helps her, and a magical surge strikes Mika, gravely injuring her. When Mika regains consciousness and has a chance to speak to Terracotta, she says, “I wish you’d listen to me when I ask you not to put yourself in danger” (168), showing that she has always had Terracotta’s best interests at heart. Terracotta learns that she needs to trust Mika and allow Mika to guide her so that no one gets hurt from wild magic. Terracotta’s arc highlights how letting others in can be for one’s own good. Overall, this theme communicates the concept of human connections as a source of growth, love, protection, and healing.