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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Plague deaths in graphic detail throughout; violence against accused witches; some physical violence from fear and grief
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
An adult relationship develops in the extreme circumstances; one scene involving assault
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological cost of watching everyone you know die while you survive; the terror of scapegoating; the transformation of grief into violence
What this book is about
When a cloth merchant brings the plague to the village of Eyam in 1666, the rector William Mompesson makes an extraordinary proposition: the village will quarantine itself to protect surrounding communities. Anna Frith, a young widow who becomes the rector's housekeeper, narrates the year of sacrifice and transformation that follows. Brooks's novel is based on the true story of Eyam's self-imposed isolation, and it does not flinch from the horror of mass death, the psychology of scapegoating, or the violence that fear produces.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Plague deaths in graphic detail throughout
Violence against women accused of witchcraft
The psychological trauma of mass death
Reader Verification
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