Hour of the Witch is very good historical fiction. One of Bohjalian’s great strengths is his research; another is his sense of humanity. By the accretion of lavish detail, he’s able to show us a real world and the people who live in it. He also gives us someone with whom to empathize: Mary is admirable in her determination, independence and clearheadedness. At the same time, she is a person of her own time, and Bohjalian makes clear how the systems of that time work ... the tale is told against a solid background of domestic violence, female rivalries and solidarity, and an evenhanded sense of fairness regarding the community in which these events take place. The importance of the religious nature of daily life is woven into the story, not imposed upon it ... while the book is as thick with details as chowder is with clams, the specifics are handled with great skill and delicacy. The book is a thriller in structure, and a real page-turner, the ending both unexpected and satisfying.
Blending historical events with page-turning thrills, Hour of the Witch offers a propulsive and powerful tale ... Bohjalian at his best. He’s drawing from real history while endowing it with his own propulsive storytelling touch. The resulting narrative is intense and intimate ... Mary Deerfield is one of the most fascinating characters to spring from Bohjalian’s pen...heartbreaking and incredibly engaging ... Bohjalian’s gifts as a researcher are front and center here as well. His ability to recreate this particular place, both in the nuts-and-bolts scene-setting and the cultural attitudes, is unparalleled—the reader is fully dropped into this world, left to be equal parts fascinated and frustrated by the myriad differences between that time and this one. And of course, there is the prose. When Bohjalian is really cooking, there’s a kinetic energy to his storytelling that is unlike anything else in the realm of popular fiction ... Hour of the Witch is another exceptional offering from Chris Bohjalian, one that features the hallmarks of his best work while also breaking new ground.
... harrowing ... what happened when a woman’s husband was the very threat she must escape? This question becomes, in the hands of a master storyteller like Bohjalian, an engrossing tale of a woman who insists upon the right to navigate her life, and the consequences when she does ... At the novel’s dark center is Thomas, a terrifying, vindictive brute[.]
Mr. Bohjalian does an admirable job of bringing his numerous players to life in all their complexity. Mary, so mistreated by her milieu, begins to wonder if she may indeed be possessed. Hour of the Witch—part courtroom thriller, part psychological suspense novel—holds a reader’s rapt attention all the way to its startling conclusion.
... brutal and timely ... Bohjalian climbs inside the head of the fervent believer in witchcraft as well as inside the minds of those who simultaneously doubt the existence of witches, yet cling to the belief in the devil. The author accomplishes an extraordinary feat, quietly devastating: in its grasp of the cult, the innocent, the abused, and those who are raised to doubt themselves ... In a page-turning vicious and psychological death spiral, Hour of the Witch will surprise with plot twists and character arcs stunning in their visual details. The psychologically logical motives of cult followers are a gut-punch to those who cannot grasp the power of group-think ... Applause is due for plumbing the depths of historical research (including studying preserved documents of an accused witch who threw her diary into an outhouse before being executed in the 1660s), and most of all, for interweaving the madness of witch hunts, past and present! ... One of the truly memorable novels this year!
... unfolds with escalating drama ... Hour of the Witch essentially becomes a legal thriller, albeit one set in a world with very different rules. Unfortunately, despite Mary’s relatable voice, with a smattering of archaic language for mood, the trial scenes lack the variety and color of our protagonist’s visits to Boston’s busy port or the tension of the Deerfields’ home ... While its themes of domestic abuse and sexism give The Hour of the Witch a contemporary feel, it is this central quest for self-determination that resonates most deeply throughout the book. Ultimately, these themes will come together as the mystery of the forks is revealed and Mary digs deeper to uncover her own truth in a surprising, if not entirely convincing, conclusion that, just maybe, shows how timeless some battles—and some heroines—are.
Throughout Bohjalian’s prolific career, he has rewarded readers with indelibly drawn female protagonists, and the formidable yet vulnerable Mary Deerfield is a worthy addition to the canon. Conjuring up specters of #MeToo recriminations and social media shaming, there are twenty-first-century parallels to Bohjalian’s atmospheric Puritan milieu, and his trademark extensive research pays off in this authentic portrait of courage in the face of society’s worst impulses.
Bohjalian’s historical novel is full of twists and turns. Though not a typical suspense novel, the story has many of the page-turning plot lines of a thriller, and is sure to keep readers enthralled. Though it’s set in the 1600s, Mary’s story resonates today, as it addresses the role religious and societal expectations can play in the lives of individuals. A must-read and highly recommended.
Chapter-prefacing snippets from testimony at Mary’s future court appearances fan suspense, but also make her painful journey there seem at times excruciatingly slow. With its exploration of themes including domestic abuse, toxic masculinity, and mass hysteria, the novel feels like anything but a period piece. Bohjalian fans and newcomers alike will be satisfied.
Mary comes from privilege, and her parents clearly care about her. (Unlike the divorce magistrates, they don’t believe she injured her hand by falling on a tea kettle spout.) That they allow her return to Thomas to avoid witchcraft charges defies plausibility—death at Thomas’ hands seems a more immediate prospect, and her family wealth affords many other options. The charges come anyway—timed for maximum melodrama. The language, salted liberally with thee and thou, feels period-authentic. The colonists’ impact on nearby Native tribes is not Bohjalian’s primary concern here, but the Hobson’s choice facing women in Puritan society is starkly delineated ... Illustrates how rough justice can get when religion and institutional sexism are in the mix.
