Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian is set in Massachusetts during the Puritan era of the 1600s. Mary Deerfield is married to an abusive man who holds complete control over her. After one particularly violent episode, Mary leaves her home, moves in with her parents, and begins unheard of divorce proceedings. Her husband and his family threaten her when she won't stop the process and threaten her with a possible accusation of being a witch. The author has done a great deal of research in order to fill this novel with a mountain of info about life in this time period. Really well done. Read and enjoy!

This is historical fiction at its best. Set in 1662, and Mary, a 24-year-old woman living in the world of the Boston Puritans, is barren. She has not given birth and is therefore not doing her duty. When she meets a young man, she dreams of a life with him rather than her aged, abusive husband. Not only does she dream of a satisfactory sex life, but she also decides to divorce her husband after he stabs her with “the devils tines”, what we now call forks. She is not successful in her divorce attempt and rather finds herself the subject of gossip about her being a witch and then fighting for her life in a trial accusing her of witchcraft. Bohjalian’s research has helped him form the world of a woman who fails to see life as the Puritans wished. She is determined, independent and able to think for herself, all attributes not wanted by the men who run the Puritan world. At times, I felt history is repeating itself. Not in the witchcraft trials, but by the way conservative thinkers are suspicious of anything that challenges them or introduces new idea that threaten their leadership and power.

How far will a woman go to escape an abusive husband? In Puritan Boston in 1662, divorces are rarely granted, but Mary Deerfield, a beautiful 24-year-old goodwife, sees no alternative. Barren after five years of marriage to Thomas, a prosperous miller in his mid-forties, Mary conceals bruises beneath her coif and brushes off concerns from her adult stepdaughter. Thomas has a pattern of returning “drink-drunk” from the tavern, taking his anger out on Mary, and apologizing the next morning. Their indentured servant, who admires Thomas, never sees any violence, only a husband properly correcting his wife. Then comes the evening when Thomas attacks Mary’s left hand with a fork. Mary has allies, most notably her caring, wealthy parents. But in a culture that views women as subservient helpmeets, and with no witnesses to Thomas’s cruelty, Mary’s petition has slim chances. She must also tread carefully: the Hartford witch-hunts weigh on people’s minds, some of her behavior appears suspicious, and Satan’s temptations lurk everywhere.

Themes of women’s agency in a patriarchal society are common in historical novels, but this fast-moving, darkly suspenseful novel stands out with Bohjalian’s extraordinary world-building skills. From speech patterns to the detailed re-creation of colonial households to the religious mindset, the historical setting is very credible. The rich have finer options—Mary’s mother wears vivid colors, for instance—but her father struggles to get across that the three-pronged forks he imports from abroad are just utensils, not the “Devil’s tines.” Mary isn’t an outspoken iconoclast but a product of her era, and readers will worry for her—for many reasons, which become clear as the story progresses. The quotes opening each chapter, taken from court proceedings occurring later on, diminish some of the novel’s surprises. Nonetheless, the plot moves with increasing urgency that will have readers racing toward the ending.

(from the Historical Novels Review, May 2021)

Chris Bohjalian created another winner! I've loved every book of his that I've read so far and this one was no exception. His characters are fascinating and the story is still playing in my head long after I finished it. Mary Deerfield, a young Puritan woman, second wife to a man twice her age, is victim to his alcoholic rages. She seeks a divorce, but due to circumstances surrounding his most violent attack, the court focuses more on the accusations of witchcraft. In a male- dominated society, and with no witnesses to his cruelty, is there any chance to escape him without landing her in the noose?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story is set in Boston in 1662 and follows a young Puritan woman - Mary - as she struggles to find a happy life. Mary is the second wife to Thomas who owns the local mill. He's an upstanding member of the community and their life together started off well enough. However, Thomas is becoming increasingly violent toward Mary and as much as she would like to leave this situation, there are laws to be followed. Mary is set on navigating the complex waters of being an independent woman in 1662 but whispers of witchcraft follow her. Mary must fight to be free from Thomas, free from the gallows, and possibly free of Boston forever.

TW/CW: domestic violence

This was a really interesting genre mashup of a book - historical fiction / domestic thriller / courtroom drama. Historical fiction isn't really a go-to genre for me so I was really drawn in by the thriller and courtroom aspects. I think Bohjalian does a good job of balancing the different aspects of the story. In the acknowledgements at the end of the book, Bohjalian gives a list of his research materials into 17th century America, law, and the court system. I'm no historian, so I can't say if every single detail is accurate, but there wasn't anything out of place that stuck out to me as a reader. The narration style was a little more modern than the dialogue, but not in a jarring way. It seemed like Bohjalian (and/or his editor) did a good job making sure to leave out any modern phrases or names for things. The dialogue uses a lot of 'thine', 'thee', 'thy', etc type of language that did take some getting used to. Since historical fiction isn't my usual genre, I don't know if this is a normal language choice for books set this far back in time, but it certainly made for an atmospheric read. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this dialogue choice at the beginning, but after a few chapters, I had gotten used to it and it didn't slow down my reading or lessen my enjoyment at all.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story and thought they were pretty well developed. It really felt like the reader was just dropped into the story one day and started following Mary around from there. We don't get a whole lot of backstory about the character relationships upfront other than the literal connections (X person is married to Y or A is best friends with B, etc). But as the story develops and Mary interacts with more people, the backstory slowly comes out in dialogue or Mary thinking back to how things used to be a few years ago. I think this is especially well done considering the amount of small town gossip and rumors that were just a matter of life back then. I really liked how Mary would be thinking about how things would come across to anyone who might be watching and then, later, uses that to her advantage. There were a number of times where someone who Mary considered as a friend would be in on the gossip and might even believe the gossip to be true over what Mary would say. I wish there would have been more of this gossip revolving around less serious situations or accusations such as maybe someone buying something unusual at the market or something. I found all the connections and interpersonal dynamics fascinating. I loved the role that family played in the story - both for character development as well as plot. There's a big emphasis on family dynamics and family lines in this story. Mary, being Thomas's second wife, is much younger than him and actually around the same age as his daughter from his first marriage. Mary remarks toward the beginning of the book how difficult she found that dynamic of basically having to 'mother' a peer. We also have Mary's parents in town and her father owns a respected shipping business that brings all sorts of goods from Europe and the Caribbean.

Where I felt the book fell flat for me was the romance element. Mary meets a new person in town one day and they have a very lightly flirtatious and brief conversation in town. Later, when Mary is working through the divorce process, she thinks about how her life could be with this other man. This person becomes pretty integral to the plot later on and while Mary's feelings for him grow, I just didn't get enough of their interactions together to really believe she would fall that hard for this man. Now, I do understand that this book being set amongst 1662 Puritans means I'm not going to get the very direct and explicit flirting I get when I read contemporary romance but I just wanted some more conversations, maybe a brief hand holding when he's helping her down some steps or something like that. I also would have liked his character to be a bit more developed which could have also been done through more conversations together.

I think Bohjalian does a really great job at slowly building up the atmosphere and tension throughout the book. There isn't much by way of action in this story, but there's a lot of smaller events that all culminate at the end. I think the tension works really great in the courtroom scenes, especially. We get all this buildup of each party gathering their witnesses and accounts before the trial, the whispers of the townspeople as Mary tries to go about her normal business, and then everyone is in one building together and the trial begins. I did find the trial preparation sections to be a bit slow, but the actual trial made up for that and it was nice to have the sort of background information from all those previous scenes. Mary is the center of 2 trials in this book and I think the courtroom suspense parts of this book are the real highlight. Since we are only following Mary's story, it is really easy to get emotionally invested in the trial outcome. As much as we're rooting for her to come out on top, the reader knows that many of these types of trials did not work out in the woman's favor so we know the outcome could go either way. I found the domestic thriller aspects to be pretty light so most of the drama and thrills for me came via the courtroom scenes.

Overall, a really well balanced genre mashup of a story. Engaging characters, interesting courtroom drama, and a good amount of ye old dialogue for atmosphere.

Thanks to NetGalley and DoubleDay Books for the ARC in exchange for review

Expected publication date is May 4, 2021

Thanks so much to Doubleday for the ARC!

What a wild ride of a book! I am a huge fan of Chris’s work so I was thrilled to read Hour of the Witch before it’s officially published.

CW: Abuse

The year is 1662. In Boston, MA, 24 year old Mary Deerfield is married to Thomas Deerfield, a cruel and abusive man who puts on the air of a gentleman. After dealing with enough torture, Mary decides to go to court for a divorce. When Mary begins to discover signs of witchcraft in her home though, her trial becomes more about the signs of witchcraft than her husband. Mary decided she must take her fate into her own hands.

I liked Mary immediately so it was easy to be on her side and root for her. I felt such empathy for her- especially when she was constantly condemned by her neighbors. I think the author successfully discussed class, mob mentality, and abuse. I really felt for Mary and had strong emotions about what was happening to her. I loved reading about her perseverance and that she would not settle for an unhappy life. It reminded me to always keep fighting- whether it be 1662 or the present. I am always impressed with Bohjalian’s ability to write female characters. I appreciate his feminist lens.

Chris Bohjalian's new novel is a work of historical fiction with a liberal dose of dramatic tension. The story is set in Boston in 1662 and its protagonist is a 24-year-old woman named Mary Deerfield whose husband abuses her both mentally and physically, so badly in fact that she sues for divorce. But the trial leaves her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft. Which is worse?

Mary is a strong, determined woman who is going up against the cultural patrimony with her suit against her husband. If the law won't protect her, what's a desperate woman to do? Bohjalian draws the reader into this tense drama, describing well the setting and the forces that Mary is up against. His characterizations are excellent. I wanted to boo and hiss whenever the villain entered the room.

I have read several of Bohjalian's books and I have to say this will rank as one of my favorites. The ending is especially fitting. Well done!

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks!

In 1662 Boston, Mary Deerfield is in trouble. She's married to the abusive Thomas, and when he breaks her hand with a fork, she decides to divorce him. However, not everyone can see Thomas' cruelty, and in a time period marked by paranoia, whispers about Mary being a witch or possessed by the devil abound. Can she escape the prison of her marriage and repressive Puritan town?

Chris Bohjalian is a prolific author recently known for the thriller The Flight Attendant. It’s important to know that Hour of the Witch is a very different book. Although the blurb calls this a thriller, I think it's much more in the vein of literary fiction. The ending is a bit of a twist, but other than that, you can pretty much predict what will happen plot-wise.

What I liked:
Mary - she was so strong and easy to root for. I loved her kindness towards others and her strong convictions. The second half of the book post-divorce trial is much superior to the first half, and I enjoyed seeing how the rest of the action unfolded.

Why was this only a 3 star read for me? Simply put, it felt very long and heavy. Mary suffers through misery after misery with her husband, and it was hard to read the scenes of her abuse. The trial itself is very long and drawn out as well - this device does make you feel Mary's pain, but it's not very pleasant. I also had some trouble with the writing - the characters use thou and thy, as was common at the time, but it made me feel like I was back in English class.

Looking on Goodreads, many people liked this one more than I did. If you like this period in American history, you probably will too - it's clear that the author did a ton of research. If you like slow burn, immersive historical fiction, this would also be a good choice.

Thank you to Doubleday Books for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*4.25 stars*

TW: Intense Domestic Abuse, Ostracization, Excessive Alcohol Use, Puritan Religion

Hour of the Witch is the second novel I have read from this author, the first being over 10 years ago and his novel, Midwives. I didn’t even know that it was the same author when I requested this ARC. However, I am very glad I did request this!

This novel was an intense and thrilling historical fiction following Mary Deerfield. Mary is a 24-year-old woman living in 17th-Century New England, with an abusive husband and no children (which is important to the storyline). Mary is forced to come to terms with her abusive marriage and seek other options, but thus invoking the Puritan public eye.

I really felt the tension, and I wanted to know what was going to transpire, chapter after chapter. I even loved the court proceedings, which I usually don’t enjoy in novels. But they were tantalizing! This book was a little more dark and twisty than I was expecting, and I very much enjoyed it.

This was well-written, researched and concocted. If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced historical fiction during the American witch trials, I would most definitely recommend.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest review**

Mary Deerfield is a 24 year old Puritan woman in Boston in the 1660s. Her family emigrated to the New World and she became the second wife of Thomas Deerfield. He's a successful and prominent man in the community, but he's also prone to cruelty toward Mary, particularly when he's been drinking. When he stabs her in the hand with a fork one night, she has reached her limit. She decides that her only choice is to divorce him to save her life. In filing for divorce, she shines a spotlight upon herself in a community that is already suspiciously watching for any sign of the devil or witchcraft. As a woman with secret desires and her own mind and voice, she finds herself the object of brazen and dangerous rumors. In her attempt to save herself from Thomas's abuse, she finds she has placed herself at even greater risk from the scrutiny of the community.

I'm fascinated with the history of the Salem witch trials and this book did not disappoint. It's clear that a considerable amount of research went into this book. The history, the rhythm of daily life, the setting and the conversations between the characters felt very authentic and I felt really immersed in that moment of history. This story focused on the treatment of women in the 17th century, which is a maddening to read about. Women were expected to be obedient and subservient. They were patronized, infantilized, repressed and discriminated against unfairly. None of this is probably news to any of us. Mary put herself in the crosshairs of her community's patriarchy by displeasing her husband, upsetting the status quo and daring to speak up for herself. I was infuriated by what happened to Mary but I really enjoyed the masterful telling of her story and seeing it all unfold. There were some good twists and turns along the way that kept me guessing. I think any historical fiction fan will love this book. Trigger warnings for domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Boston 1662

Mary Deerfield is a twenty-four-year-old woman married to Thomas Deerfield. Mary is Thomas' second wife. His first wife died after being kicked by a horse. Mary should feel lucky to be married to such a powerful man, but she lives in fear of his anger, his drinking, and his violence.

Mary knows she is talked about. She and Thomas have been married for five years and she is barren. She hides her bruises or explains them away when others see them. But the final straw comes after tainted objects are found buried in her garden. Her servant girl, already uneasy after Mary attempts to save her dying brother with herbs and simples, runs away from Mary's home, accusing Mary of being a witch. To make matters worse, when Thomas learns that their servant accused Mary of being a witch, he stabs a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand.

Mary decides enough is enough and decides to divorce her husband.

But Mary lives in a time where neighbors are spying on neighbors. If you are pointing the finger at someone else, no one is pointing their finger at you, right!?! Women are not allowed to speak their minds, stand up for themselves or have sexual feelings. Anything and everything can be used against you. Talk to a stranger - you are branded a whore! Try to use a natural remedy to cure an illness - you are branded a witch! Be different in any way shape or form, you are in league with the devil! Your husband can beat you citing bible verses and telling you it is for your own good. How did women back then even dare to leave the house? Books like these make me happy I was not born back them. Whew!

Slow to start, but it gains ground quickly. I love books set during this time frame and am fascinated by the accusation of witchcraft. Throughout history, people (especially women) have been maligned for being different. People have been persecuted for living or behaving outside of the norm. Was this the case for Mary? Judged for not bearing children, for being nice to strangers, for being intelligent, and for sticking up for herself.

I found this to be both thought provoking and captivating. I could not help but feel or Mary and her plight. There are even a few twists and turns which keep things moving and interesting. I even loved the language used in the book. It made this tale feel more authentic while also setting the mood. The mood is also set with the sense of tension that permeates throughout the book. This book is also atmospheric. I had an uneasy feeling throughout and kept thinking "nothing good can come of this." AT times I wanted to take Mary aside and tell her "people are watching you, be smart, be cautious" etc.

Beautifully written and plotted. Hour of the Witch is tense, atmospheric, and thought provoking.

Thank you to Doubleday books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mary Deerfield is a young Puritan woman married to an husband from whom she seeks to escape. Mary at first seeks divorce from husband. She is suspected of witchcraft and adultery. She is not sure who in her community is friend or foe.

I found this novel difficult to read. The first half is quite long and slow. I would say it verges on boring. The pacing of the story does improve around 75-85% in if you can keep reading that long. There are too many court proceedings in this novel. The entire first half of the book could be shortened and at least one court case exorcised from this novel. I think the novel is meant to be an historical fiction with some kind of suspense or thriller aspect to it; however, the 'suspense' aspect doesn't become apparent until the novel is almost over.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one.

Mary married a man who should thought would take care of her and she would start a family, as her puritan upbringing taught her. Little did she know she would suffer terrible abuse at this hand and never become pregnant. She tried to divorce him but, but instead of the powers that be listening to her they start to question her being in to witchcraft. She tries to defend herself but is not allowed a divorce so she goes back to the abusive relationship and tries to figure out another way to get out of the terrible situation that she is in. In 1662 women are being hung because they believe they are witches. When the finger starts pointing to Mary she finds herself in a wicked situation.

Hour of the Witch
By Chris Bohjalian

This latest Bohjalian book deals with the Puritans in Boston – their beliefs, the mores, their dealings with the indigenous peoples – and most importantly, the relationships between men and women.

Mary Deerfield is a young woman married to an older man who is verbally and physically abusive. He is, in fact, a sadistic monster. Mary is his 2nd wife and the object of all his anger and infliction of pain. When she can stand no more, Mary decides to appeal for a divorce – a shocking request in that day and time. Unfortunately, the fate of her petition is in the hands of all male magistrates, who are not prepared to believe anything she says about her husband. She is forced to return as his wife.

As horrifying as the situation is, it only grows worse as the idea of someone dabbling in witchcraft, in league with the devil, begins to spread. It is not long before Mary finds herself on trial as a witch.

The story is one that in modern times would be deemed a thriller. I admit that, as I got closer and closer to the end, I was afraid that Mr. Bohjalian would not be able to wrap this book up as he has so many times before. Suffice it to say, that he does come through with a satisfying ending in typical Bohjalian style.

Hour of the Witch was more historical fiction than thriller. A story about an abused woman trying to get a divorce and the way the society and the courts treated her were an interesting read. I wish the pace had been slightly more exciting or swift. I realize the author was trying for the style of writing and speaking at the time, but you can do this without dragging the narrative down. There was a lot of telling when we could have been experiencing. None of the characters were particularly likable or easy to relate to even thought the subject was as relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago. This was my first book by the author. I'd like to see what the rest are like.

An upgraded crucible tale. I thought even though this obviously takes place in a time when people are burned as witches, the main character was fearless, feminist, and breath-taking. She proves that women can take their power back in such powerless times. This was a great book. This author continues to impress me. I also loved The Flight Attendant


Thank you to #netgalley #arc for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3766253143

Picture this. You’re a young women in an unfamiliar home. Your family sailed to the United States from England to better their lives both financially and spiritually. Your husband is chosen for you as he is a member of your church and an important business man. You are 24 and have been married to this much older man for 5 years. Your husband has been physically and mentally abusing you for most of your marriage. Every night you sit quietly at the dinner table hoping he isn’t “drink, drunk “. Later in the evening you hope he passes out quickly. Eventually enough is enough and Mary our protagonist decides to file for divorce. The irony is that the year is the 1662 and the only way you divorce your spouse is to prove “cruelty”. Cruelty is defined as “ violence without provocation and discipline that is excessive .” Basically a husband can discipline his wife if she provokes him. Excessive is determined by the court , the court is governed by men. Mary can’t prove Thomas is cruel because no one witnesses the abuses. Some of bruises are visible but Thomas says that Mary is clumsy. Of course it can’t be anything else.

The Puritan life is one of suspicion. Mary is judged by her husband , their servant Catherine and other townspeople. Mary walks alone, she is “barren “, she feels sympathy for the Quaker man who was publicly whipped, she visits an herbalist, she tried to divorce the important and justly Thomas, she has devil tines in her home. She must be a witch. She must be tried.

The Hour Of The Witch is powerful historical fiction with a side of courtroom drama . It reads like non fiction and it will make you think. It’s a tense and difficult read at times. The story for me was easy to visualize as it is so descriptive.


Thank you Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC ebook for read and review for an honest opinion.

Thank you Chris Bohjalian for sharing the story of the very brave Mary Deerfield in 1662 to us in the year 2021.

It is out on May 4, 2021.

Prithee read this book.

I can’t wait for the audiobook , I’ve preordered it from Audible and it’s narrated by the author’s daughter.

This was a page-turner and thoroughly entertaining book (am I allowed to say that about books that describe hanging witches?) I love how each novel from Chris Bohjalian is in such a different style and on such different and unique topics. This one didn't disappoint. In this story you are pulled into the life of Mary Deerfield, an intelligent and independent young woman living in 1662 Boston. She is judged for her conduct, but really for her gender. While I was enraged at her treatment, I suspect Bohjalian did his research and it is entirely accurate. It was a suspenseful novel where you THINK you know how it's going to end... but does it? I recommend!

A masterwork with a surprise happy ending. I tend to loathe books written with thee, thy, thou, but this author’s use of those words is so facile and perfect that they seemed but normal conversation rather than affectation. The juxtaposition of the trials’ transcripts with the chapters was a brilliantly affecting touch, showing that such words can mask a hundred other things. This is the most affecting portrait of that period of time that I have read, demonstrating mindsets so foreign to our way of thoughts and beliefs while making them as normal as they would have been at the time. I cannot recommend this book highly enough except to say it will sit with me for a long time.

My thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an advanced copy of this novel.

Chris Bohjalian past books have been mysteries, family dramas, medical mysteries and and others, with fascinating characters in sometimes horrendous situations. Hour of the Witch is a historical thriller set in the time of or Puritans in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mary, at only 24, is trapped in a abusive, both physically and emotionally marriage with Thomas a much older previously married man. After an act of violence, Mary decides that she has had enough. Though being 1662 a woman has few options in marriage, except for subservience.

Added to her woes objects that could be considered tainted by the Devil are found in her garden, and a person that Mary had been trying to help with herbs goes drastically wrong. Being different at this time in anyway, standing out from the norm could lead to more than gossip or even ostracism. It could lead to death.

Mr. Bohjalian has crafted a well researched tale, with intriguing characters and a great sense of place and tone. Sure to be another bestseller, but even better a very good read.