Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

The lip gloss is optional, but if you’re reading this book, as a woman, you’ll probably want booze handy.
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What’s your favorite historical fiction read? Or your favorite time period to read about?
I’m fascinated by the era of the Salem witch trials, but also appalled. The religious hypocrisy. The stifling patriarchy. The shaming and brutality.

My husband’s family is related to Mary Dyer, a woman who was hung for being “carried away by the deceit of the devil” in the same place and time period that this book is set. Dyer was a Quaker, and she gave birth to a stillborn child: in the minds of the colony's ministers, the “monstrous birth” was a result of her heretical religious opinions.

I couldn’t help thinking about that poor woman while reading this…

About the book:
Mary Deerfield is a young woman married to an abusive husband in 17th century Boston. She’s determined to get a divorce when such things weren’t acceptable for a woman, so she finds herself facing the wrath of her community.
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Bohjalian has done an enormous amount of research, but he’s an artful writer, so he doesn’t show his hand. The setting and culture feel lived in and just flow so that you feel fully immersed in 1660s Boston. And as a reader, you may find yourself - much like Mary Deerfield - clawing to get out. 
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It’s shocking to experience the unfettered power the church had, in coordination with the legal system, to use shame and intimidation as a means of control. You experience the subjugation through all of the characters but none so much as Mary, who must grapple with her impulse to be an independent woman in a society that is terrified of such a thing.

The court proceedings are fascinating: they shed light on the law and the legal processes of our country’s history while embodying all the intrigue of a Grisham-type legal thriller.

This has similarities with The Handmaid’s Tale. And just like that novel, it’s a cautionary tale of what our society could slide back into if we aren’t vigilant in protecting and furthering our rights. 
This was actually the first book of Bohjalian’s that I've read, and I look forward to reading more!

It comes out May 4!

Thank you Doubleday for the ARC!