Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"It was always possible that the Devil was present.  Certainly, God was watching.  And their Savior." (loc 37)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2021; Doubleday; 978-0385542432
audio, ebook, print (416 pages); historical fiction

A young Puritan woman--faithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soul--plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive historical thriller.

The year is 1662 in Boston.  Mary, a beautiful young woman is married to Thomas who is almost twice her age.  He is cruel and abuses her both physically and emotionally when he is drunk - which is almost every day.  When he sticks a three-pronged fork into her hand to discipline her, she decides that she needs to divorce him.  But gossip is an ugly thing and greatly affects the way a person is viewed in a community.  Mary soon finds that many people are suspicious that she is a witch working together with the devil.  As she works on getting out of her marriage, she finds that she has to work just as hard to avoid being hung as a witch.  

Once again Chris Bohjalian presents his readers with a totally different book than what he has written before.  Yet, it's still a masterpiece and one that you will be engrossed in.  The research that he did is apparent in every page - especially with the language used in this time period.  He is also one of the best male writers of female characters writing today.  His depiction of Mary - her actions and her thoughts are spot on.  I will give you the same words that I give on every one of Chris Bohjalian's books - You Don't Want to Miss This Book!

Buy Hour of the Witch at Amazon

An IndieNext Pick for May

A Read It Forward Most Anticipated Book of 2021

A Lit Hub Most Anticipated Book of 2021

A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book of 2021

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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