"There were people in the world who were good and people who were evil, but most of them were some mixture of both and did what they did simply because they were mortal."
Mary Deerfield, a 24-year-old married Puritan woman, is accused of perfidy and witchcraft in Boston, 1662. Her husband, Thomas, beats her and taunts her but he crosses a line when he stabs her in the hand with a fork. When Mary attempts to divorce him, she finds that the men and women she lives around won't hesitate to condemn and malign her despite their professions of faith. Those righteous people will bully and accuse her of horrible things in order to justify their pitiful colonial lives. NO SPOILERS.
This novel was not a thriller, and it thoroughly made me furious at least once on every page. I can hardly stand to read about the treatment of Mary (and women) during that era. History tells us that many left England and Europe for the New World to escape religious persecution, but it seems that mistreatment came along with them and continued. What everyone really needed was freedom FROM religion and relief from the misogyny that was part of every women's life wherever she lived. The hypocrisy of the men was (is) astounding and, though I like to think things have improved over the last several hundred years, I'm afraid it persists in some hearts and souls to this day. Mary's life was horrible in my eyes and the injustices she faced are nearly intolerable to ponder. The way that religious beliefs are twisted, and when women are burned or hanged as witches, makes me wonder how much has really changed in thoughts and minds of those in powerful positions. All Mary wants is to escape a violent husband but there is no mercy to be found. Her disobedience must be punished and the men will stop at nothing to retain their authority.
Chris Bohjalian is a very talented author and I've read all of his books -- liked some more than others. He typically handles subjects that give the reader something to think about long after finishing the novels he writes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - historical fiction
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