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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Domestic abuse, torture within the Puritan legal system, and a witch trial's violence
Language
Barely any
Period-authentic language; minimal
Sexual Content
Barely any
Marital coercion and its physical consequences referenced carefully
Substance Use
Barely any
Medicinal herbs referenced as part of the witchcraft accusation
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Gaslighting within a controlled marriage, the terror of false accusation, the legal trap of Puritan society
What this book is about
Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield endures a cold, cruel marriage to an older man who beats her. Convinced that God does not intend for her to suffer this way, she petitions for a divorce — an almost unheard-of act for a Puritan woman. When the church court convenes and evidence of strange objects is found on her property, the petition becomes a witchcraft trial. Bohjalian's historical thriller exposes the legal and religious machinery used to control women and discredit their testimony.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
domestic abuse in a historical context
witchcraft trial and false accusation
legal violence against women
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