GSWS Feminist Book Club - January 2026
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
V.E. Schwab
Tor (2025)
In an interview, author V.E. Schwab stated that Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil explores the question, “What would it be like if women weren’t afraid?” This novel is a compelling and highly engaging response to this question. Embedded in the genre of vampire fiction, the narrative follows three women over five centuries—from 16th-century Spain to 19th-century England to the contemporary United States—as each confronts the limitations imposed on her by society. At turns enraging and cathartic, Schwab’s novel presents a nuanced depiction of its protagonists, highlighting their agency and moral complexity. Our main critique is that, after five hundred pages and five centuries, the narrative comes to an abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying end, hinting at the promise of healing from gendered violence through community and intergenerational mentorship.
Rating: 3.5/5
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is a month-long series of engagement opportunities hosted by the Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office (SVSPO) in collaboration with SFU and FIC partners every January. The purpose of SAAM is to raise awareness about sexualized violence and to empower SFU and FIC students, faculty, staff, and administrators to engage with this complex topic in meaningful ways.
Content Note:
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil explores themes involving intimate partner violence, including emotional manipulation, coercive control, and physical harm. The novel also engages with motifs of death, bodily decay, burial rites, and various forms of confinement. Throughout the narrative, characters navigate trauma responses and the enduring psychological effects of abusive relationships.
If this novel brings up difficult feelings or memories, please consider reaching out for support. The SFU Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office (SVSPO) offers free and confidential supports services for all SFU community members who have been impacted by any kind of sexualized or gender-based violence.