Book Review: "Hour of the Witch" By Chris Bohjalian

One of the best historical, mystery, fiction books that I've read in a long time has just arrived and it's here with a vengeance.

Chris Bohjalian is the master of this mystery decked out from the Puritan style theme with a thriller surrounding our Puritan ladies Mary Sangford and the servant Catherine Stileman who are unique in their own right.

We begin with Mary who seeks out of a loveless and harmful marriage from Thomas whose abusive as well as a drunk.

Mary is considered during these troubling times to have become possessed by evil, the devil, and worse she's had a young man she was helping using herbs pass away on her watch.
It's a natural progression to start to blame her for the wrongdoings of others & in fact many go out of their way to scowl & hinder her progression.

You have to remember this was a time of hangings, burnings to the stake, false accusations of witchcraft, and worse death to unschooled wives.

Seducing men, adultery, and other sexual prowess was not taking lightly and many were flocked or beaten profusely for such crimes of passion.

It didn't help the situation in having Catherine point the finger her way at each corner including using Devils tines.

It was a speedy novel that captured my interest from the first words to the last with everything in between escalating at rapid pace.

Relationships came and went but they were truly deep, dark, and in many cases left readers concerned of accusations of kissing, resistance, unclaimed advances, lies, flogging, and women being viewed as," She is the weaker of the two vessels & must be cared for."
I'll be damned this was not one for the faint of heart who believe in strong women, strong voices, or feminism as it will chill you to the bone to see the backseat horrifics portrayed against women.

When a man especially a spouse breaks a women's hand in this case his wife using tines by skewering her hand to the table and everyone sits discussing her faults while blaming and shaming it doesn't appear much different than today's standards of scapegoating and black sheeps.

Catherine is nasty and as some reviewers mentioned -Nasty Puritan Women- but she's also a crucial player in this game.

What can be noted," I am not the hunter, but arguably, the hunted."
It's about to get real as we see the devil in disguise may just be a MAN after all and the woman may be more than just a body part to said man.

The ending was splendid as was the entire process and I was taken by Desiree, Henry, and Mary's final hours.

I will note to women of today's age: Do not stay silent, keep speaking out against abuse, never quit being you! Subservient women are not the same as the tenacious -glass ceiling - breaking women of today! The Leave it to Beaver- bake n shakes - are not reality. Men and women must learn to cohabitate peacefully and support one another and I hope this book shows how far we still need to go in terms of equality for all.