Call of the Owl Woman
A Novel of Ancient Peru
Set among people whose worship is based on sacred reciprocity with the earth, K. M. Huber’s rich novel Call of the Owl Woman follows as a powerful girl embraces her destiny.
Patya comes from a long line of medicine women, but she prefers dancing and spending time with her younger brother, Tachico, who has a gift for divining: “It’s like the water calls him.” Her grandmother left her an empowering relic—a shimmering owl costume “consecrated for high ceremony, for stepping into the spirit world through a sacred, secret dance.” It hints that she is meant to “rekindle the sisterhood of the Silver Owl.”
As her people face famine, drought, and an earthquake, Patya worries about their future. Achiq, the vicious high priest, has increasing control over the villagers; he undermines feminine power, collects the mummified heads of those who stand in his way, and claims to know the will of the gods. He also seems to have dangerous designs on her family members.
Patya’s grief for her grandmother, and illuminating vernacular details about her people’s beliefs, center the early portions of the book. At a gradual pace, Patya’s secrets are revealed: about her affection for her friend’s cousin; about her worry that she will never be loved; about an assault that left her feeling broken; and about the time she spent healing and learning with her grandmother. After a pilgrimage to Yuraq Orqo, she has visions of her land “ravaged by blight,” with people “competing for puddles of water.” Her path becomes clear. With the guidance of oracles and wise women, she begins her ultimate story.
“Fate is the path we follow and destiny is where it leads” in Call of the Owl Woman, an atmospheric coming-of-age novel saturated in the spirituality of ancient Peru.
Reviewed by
Michelle Anne Schingler
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