I am a huge fan of Chris Bohjalian's books. My favorite of his is Midwives, with The Double Bind coming in a close second. I was very excited when I was given the chance to read this book by the publisher. Additionally, I love books about the witch trials in New England.

This book was very interesting and I really cared about the main character, Mary. She was too smart for her time, and too smart for her own good. I tend to think if I was alive at the time of the witch trials I would not have made it through unscathed. I enjoyed the pacing of the novel and the "quotes" from the court transcripts between the chapters. One drawback I will say is that the author used old timey language throughout the whole book, which had the unfortunate effect of creating distance between me and the characters. I admit, I don't know what the author could have done instead.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the Salem witch trials, as long as they go into the book knowing about the language.

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!*

Hour of the Witch takes place in Boston, 1662 and is the story of a young Puritan woman, Mary, who requests a divorce from her abusive husband. Such a thing was completely out of line in those witch-hunt days…so of course things get difficult for Mary. ⁣
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What I love most about Bohjalian (one of my favorite authors) is his ability to write about anything. His most recent works are testament to that - from modern day plague in The Red Lotus, to the thriller of The Flight Attendant - and now this? 1600s? What will he do next??! (Seriously, I want to know what’s next??!!). ⁣
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And what I liked most about this book was the way-back historical fiction that I don’t read much about. The condemning of a progressive woman, led by the bullies of society, is a tale as old as time apparently. I found myself drawing parallels to today, how ridiculous people sound with their arguments sometimes against basic human rights - women’s rights. And how dangerous it can be to let religious beliefs rule. I feel like the hysteria of those days just continues to manifest in other forms. How do we ever get away from this? The book does start out slow but by the end I thought it was completely engrossing. ⁣
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“I cannot open the minds of men whose brains have doors locked shut.” ⁣
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣
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I’m looking forward to discussing this with my family in October. Who knew forks were instruments of the devil??!🍴🥴

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The first thing that caught my attention to request this was the gorgeous cover of this novel, and then, of course, the author, Chris Bohjalian. Our main character, Mary is married to a violent man, Thomas. Mary wants a divorce, but of course, back in Puritan days, this is forbidden. She seeks help from a woman rumored to be a witch. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I found myself very bored. Maybe it was the fact that I just didn't enjoy reading about this timeline in history (I usually enjoy historical fiction). I found this was not a thriller like I was anticipating. I wanted to read something that put me in the "fall/Halloween vibe", but this just didn't do it for me. If you are a historical fiction fan of the Puritan era in Boston, then this one may be for you.

I surprised myself by quite liking this book. Inundated with Puritan movies, messages, and books (scarlet letter anyone?) in high school I’ve been avoidant of most everything related to that topic. I added this one to my shelf to challenge my typical reading preferences and was captivated. The ending managed to surprise and satisfy; something that’s hard to do well. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I pushed myself through this book. It just wasn't quite punchy enough for me. I think that the prose was wonderful though.

I loved this! I have tried several Christ Bohjalian books and up until now have thought he just wasn't for me, but this was awesome! I absolutely loved the story, the foreboding, the history, and the ways he moved everything toward a conclusion.

Hour of the Witch a tour de force work of historical fiction -- an engrossing study of domestic abuse, divorce, societal pressures, and witchcraft, as well as a captivating legal thriller, with a final twist that is inventive, surprising, and extremely satisfying.

Author Chris Bohjalian masterfully sets the scene, convincingly recreating and transporting readers to 1662 Boston. The city's population is exploding as ships arrive from all over the world bringing goods. The Puritans drink beer, eat from trenchers, and do not use folks because they resemble pitchforks: "the devil's tines." Bohjalian found the fact that Puritans could be so afraid of forks one of the most fascinating aspects of their thought processes. So Mary's father is a businessman importing forks from Europe where they are just gaining favor, primarily among the nobility.

A fork is the weapon Thomas Deerfield uses to attack his young wife. Thomas is boorish, controlling, and cruel. Mary has thus far failed to conceive a child, a fact that leads to gossip and speculation among the townspeople, and fuels Thomas's verbal abuse. Puritan society is a patriarchy founded on religious beliefs, and Thomas is the worst example of the misogynistic world in which Mary exists. Women are to stay in their place, and those who don't suffer severe consequences. Thomas is also physically abusive, and his violent attacks upon Mary have escalated over time, growing increasingly savage.

Mary's mother gifts them eight silver forks, "each the size and rough shape of a spoon, . . . but Mary couldn't imagine what she was supposed to do with the forks. . . . She'd heard of these utensils with three tines and she knew they were tools of the Devil." Her mother insists that even people in Boston will use them because they "are not inducements from Satan; they are but gifts from thy parents."

But a fork does become the tool of a devil . . . named Thomas Deerfield. Mary accurately predicts that he will not tolerate having forks in his house. One morning Mary finds a pestle and two forks buried in the yard. Catherine, the Deerfields' servant, insists that Mary must have placed them there, and killed her brother, even though Mary tried to save him by providing "simples" (natural remedies such as herbs). She accuses Mary of being a witch. The commotion rouses Thomas who, at first, insists that Mary is "too simple to be a witch." But he decides to test Catherine's theory and in a harrowing fit of anger, picks up a fork and slams it, "tines down, into the bones in the back of her hand." At that point, Mary fully realizes that she is in grave danger and if she stays in the marriage Thomas will eventually kill her.

Thomas is not just a stereotypical bully. "He believes in his heart that he's looking out for his wife. He does it in ways that are obscene, cruel beyond belief," but in line with Puritan notions. He justifies his abuse, claiming that he inflicts it because he fears for Mary's immortal soul and, as her husband, has a responsibility to discipline her in order to save her from eternal damnation. He fears for his own social standing and reputation, as well. His behavior is sanctioned by a society that permits men to discipline their wives.

Mary determines "to do something incredibly rare." She resolves to divorce Thomas, "even if it subjects her to allegations of witchcraft."

Puritans were terrified of Satan, in part because "they had no explanations for certain life events and natural disasters." Mary is a beautiful, intelligent young woman, but she is modest. She accepts the societal constraints within which she must live -- men have dominion over women and she would be content within that familial structure. But that dominion cannot extend to being beaten by her husband. For a long time, she has been hiding the bruises and making up stories about how she has injured herself when it was impossible to conceal the effects of Thomas's fists striking her. Still, summoning strength and a sense of self-worth that she never knew she possessed, she finally stands up for herself. She reaches her limit and uses her voice to say "Enough!" She insists that she deserves to be released from a toxic relationship with a monster. Part of her motivation is the fact that she dreams of a life without Thomas in which she is loved and cherished by another man to whom she feels an increasingly irresistible attraction. She goes out of her way to encounter him, daring to spend time talking with a man who values her intellect. On top of that, Mary dares to maintain a friendship with Constance Winston, an older single woman who lives alone on the wrong side of town, and serves as a role model, mentor, confidante, and co-conspirator. She is an expert on simples and tried to help Mary become pregnant when, after three years of marriage, she still had not conceived a child. And Mary turns to her again when she is utterly desperate to escape her circumstances, a choice that could prove disastrous. That Mary will be labeled a witch becomes inevitable, in part due to her own actions.

The story is based partly on the first divorce in America on the ground of cruelty. There were five legal bases for divorce -- polygamy, desertion, adultery, impotence, and cruelty -- and thirty-one cases on record. One was on the ground of impotence, and only one was based on cruelty. Bohjalian pondered, "How much courage must it have taken in Puritan Boston for a woman to stand up against the stern men who formed the Court of Assistants and petition for divorce?" He imbued Mary, his protagonist, with that courage and unbreakable spirit.

The first part of the book is called "The Book of the Wife," with the second titled "The Book of the Witch." Although religion permeated every aspect of their daily lives, Puritan marriages were, surprisingly, deemed a civil, not sacred, covenant. For that reason, divorce was permitted and the wife was entitled to one-third of the marital estate. When Mary tells her parents that Thomas has abused her, they vow to protect her. Her father declares, "This won't stand. I'm appalled. Let us go see both a friend and a magistrate. . . . Mary and Thomas were married by a magistrate, and I will see to it that they are divorced by a magistrate." Mary's parents love their daughter, but, being good Puritans, they are responsible for having married her off to Thomas. They take her back into their home when she leaves Thomas and the divorce trial proceeds. But they fear for her safety. Obtaining a divorce proves to be anything but simple or uncomplicated. Mary soon becomes the target of a full-fledged witch hunt with her very life at stake.

Each chapter in the book is preceded by an excerpt of the testimony elicited during Mary's trial, a technique that heightens reader curiosity and ratchets up the tension. And the courtroom scenes are riveting and believable. Mary must convince a fourteen-member all-male panel of jurists that her account of marriage to Thomas is true and meets the legal standard of cruelty. Soon, Mary is embroiled in a second trial with few options left to her. At one point, a magistrate refers to her as "a nasty and sharp-tongued woman," a reference Bohjalian is certain will not be lost on his readers. He wanted the story to be contemporary and happened to be writing it during the ill-fated Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh.

Bohjolian effectively tells the story utilizing the language of the time period from Mary's vantage point. He compassionately reveals her thought processes, desires, and fears in the hope that his readers will take Mary into their hearts. It is impossible not to, because she is a sympathetic character with whom female readers, in particular those who have experienced differential treatment because of their gender, will readily empathize. Her parents are equally endearing, and their struggle to balance their realistic assessment of Mary's predicament against their desire to see their beloved child healthy and happy is both engrossing and heartrending. Every supporting character, including Thomas's daughter Peregrine and Constance, the woman who dares defy societal conventions, is fully imagined and intriguing.

Hour of the Witch is an absorbing and entertaining fictional tale. But it is also much more. It is the contemporary tale Bohjalian sought to create and "among the timeliest" he has ever penned. The parallels between 1662 Boston and America in the #MeToo era are inescapable and thought-provoking. Bohjalian hopes readers will ask themselves, "Oh, my god, how have we not come further in the last three hundred and fifty years?" Indeed.

Hour of the Witch is one of the best books of 2021, and destined to be deemed a classic.

This is classic Bohjalian: thrilling suspense in the most unlikely setting. I admire his ability to create such fascinating stories! I can think of no other male author who writes the female perspective so accurately. Then he goes and spins a 17th century Puritan woman's story with close parallels to the current day #MeToo movement, and I just shake my head. Brilliant!

Intriguing period piece. The novel moves slowly through the action, however I think the character development and understanding is helped through the pace. I felt so strongly connected to Mary and her plight. The reader roots for her so much throughout the whole novel, even when her morals become "questionable". The novel was darker than I expected in the subject matter and harsh talk about women and women's roles. Very cultural accurate for the time and setting, but a good reminder of how hard life was for women in this time period. I would love a sequel novel about Mary's life after this novel!

I wasn't sure that historical thrillers were my thing, but anything with witches - I'm sold! This is another great book from Bohjalian and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Slow and methodical in an engaging way. I wouldn't call it a thriller, however, more of a courtroom drama.

I usually like Chris Bohjalian's novels, but this one I could not get into. I didn't finish the book.

Did not finish this one. Despite the potential of the subject matter, I could not relate to the characters and the book failed to catch my interest.

This literary historical thriller is about Puritans and their belief of witches, in the 1600's.

Mary Deerfield is young she is married to an older, violent man, Thomas.

Mary is unhappy in her marriage and wants more for her life. Thinking this way is the beginning of why others start to think of her as a witch.

This is a lot of world building for Puritan colony in the beginning of the book. This plotting made the book a bit slow going but very informative. The second half of the book is quite thrilling.

Hour of the Witch is story of 24 year old Mary Deerfield. She's married to a well off mill owner and this is his second marriage. Her husband is a drunk and abusive. Mary finds herself in the fifth year of a loveless marriage with an older man. It's not his age that bothers her; it's the fact that he hits her and is mentally and emotionally abusive. Thomas hides a cruel nature behind a mask of religiosity. This irks me no end. My irritation grows because he is successful at appearing saintly and above reproach while abusing his wife. He misses no chance to deride or belittle Mary, thinking to take her down a notch. His hypocrisy knows no bounds as he lies about the causes of Mary’s bruises. To hide cruelty and abusive behavior behind a saint’s mask is the height of arrogance. It’s like riding the Devil’s broomstick into church. Mary is no saint but she’s not pretending to be one. She is flawed but she has insight into her feelings and attitudes. Mary wants a divorce after the abuse has gotten worse. A divorce was a difficult matter in 1662 Boston where the whole town has a say and the plaintiff is accused of witchcraft. I wasn't expecting this to be a legal drama. I liked how her father supported her in seeking a divorce. The book is a bit long but really takes off in the second half and the writing, research and dedication to the craft is evident from this author. I would recommend it but ensure you are ready the language which is very clear to the time period and commit to the book because it is worth the time.

*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review

I was so excited to read the new Bohjalian, having loved virtually everything I've read by him. He is a vastly talented author who has taken on so many different narrative structures and genres successfully. He's even made me appreciate some genres I had previously not liked. However, I think that challenge was too much for me in this book. I really, truly dislike courtroom dramas, in the same way that I don't appreciate authors who have one character tell another character what happened "in the end." It feels sloppy, as though the author can't figure out how to write the real action and leaves it up to exposition. That said, however, Bohjalian is a fabulous writer and if you like being transported into a courtroom (especially a historical one with different legal standards than those of today), you will probably really enjoy this book.

The action takes place in the mid-1600s and has to do with women's subjugation by men. Mary is married to a brute of a man who presents a godly front to Puritan Boston. There are two trials, related to one another, with the first being her suit for divorce and the second a trial for witchcraft. The characters are well drawn and their actions fit the times. Bohajlian also does a terrific job with the historical setting. Perhaps Mary's thinking is a bit too modern, but who is to say that young women in the 1600s didn't feel the same physical longings that they do today.

After a plot that takes its time developing, moving between Mary's experiences and the courtroom nightmare she endures, the ending seems out of context in its intensity and pace. The resolution is nonetheless gratifying and in some ways redeems the puritanical feel of the book leading up to it.

I continue to be a Bohjalian fan and will look forward to his next book, even though this one was not quite my cup of tea.

I became a fan of Bohjalian when I read the “Guest Room.” He is back with an incredible piece of historical fiction. Mary Deerfield, a Puritan living in 1690’s Boston, desperately wants to leave her abusive husband. Her forthrightness is not welcomed and she manages to anger many in her community.

When her request for a divorce is not granted, someone in the community is out for revenge. Will Mary find the happiness she so desperately desires?

Bohjalian explores the ways in which society kept women in submission by removing any control they might have over their own destiny. This novel left me also exploring the ways women are still lack that control - especially with regard to domestic abuse.

This is a gut wrenching thriller written by one of the best. Who knew a story about Puritans could keep you on your toes?

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me to read and review this book. Published May 4, 2021.

As is expected of Bohjalian, this was another stellar book. Each page you turned took you a little deeper into Boston in the year 1622. Women were chattel, to be corrected and punished by their fathers or husbands. So marriage needed to be a very good choice - least you be abused. When Mary married, it was to the wrong man. After years of cruelty Mary petitioned for a divorce - mostly unheard of at that time. During her 'trial' she was suspected of being a witch. How does Mary get out of this - both her marriage and the aura of being a witch? Who will be there to help her? Anyone?

Chis Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors. His books are always well researched, full of facts, and always always different. From parasomnia in the Sleepwalker to WWII in Skeletons at the Feast to a murdered man in The Flight Attendant to Vietnam in The Red Lotus and now a trip back to the era of the witch. His writing is crisp, his characters well developed and his attention to detail puts you right smack in the corner of his novels - sharing every word and action - as though you were sitting right there. He can't write fast enough for me. 😁 🤩

Though things aren't perfect for women now, they are much better than they were in colonial America. Hour of the Witch tells the story of 24 year old Mary, a Puritanical woman living in Boston. She is in an abusive marriage to a much older man and is troubled by her inability to conceive a child and her desire to escape her marriage. She seeks a divorce and things don't go quite as she'd hoped. She comes under suspicion for being a witch.

This was gripping historical fiction that tells of the peril women were in if they dared to try to be independent. This is about the 5th book that I've read by Bohjalian and he has a special knack for depicting families in crisis. Mary was in a difficult situation and while she made some good choices, she also made some that ended up working against her case. She did find some allies through her plight and it was good to see others willing to help her.

I'm always up for historical fiction, and this novel did not disappoint. Set in New England in the mid-1600s, the story of Mary, the dutiful but barren wife of a drunk, abusive husband, Thomas Deerfield, is a tough but compelling read. The story has the expected dreadful atmosphere one might imagine of a novel set in that time and place: the trappings of Puritanical patriarchy, the constant fear of the devil's real and physical presence, the preeminence of religion in every aspect of daily life, from the courtroom to the bedroom, and the close-knit communities where conformity is protection and failing to conform brings on suspicion of the devil's influence. Under all of these burdens, Mary has an unbounded sense of optimism that she will gain freedom from her husband's tyrannical rule and that the justice system will, in fact, deliver justice. I thought the author made this world come alive, and while it seemed incredibly authentic in the characters' speech and actions, I didn't feel that this was a turn-off for a modern audience. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that the violence and brutality of the Deerfields' marriage could be a trigger for anyone who has been in a domestic abuse situation. Personally, that was not an issue for me, but it could be for some.