In Colonial Massachusetts, laws of society were dictated by the men who seemed to be exempt from the restrictions placed upon women at that time. The story is told with excepts from the trial of Mary Deerfield being accused of being a witch. She was 19 years old when she married Thomas Deerfield, who was a 45 year old influential man. People’s lives revolved around their Separatist religion often spending hours at the church. Ironically, this practice did not ensure chastity or good will within the community. Thomas Deerfield had been married before to Anne Drury who apparently died after falling off a horse. Their daughter Peregrine was married to Jonathan Cooke, a young carpenter with whom they were blessed with children. They were close in age to Mary which presented many awkward situations. After many years of trying to be obedient to Thomas, Mary was still subjected to verbal and physical abuse especially when he was drunk. They had a live in indentured servant, Catherine, who often overlooked the abuse desiring to win favor with Thomas.

Ironically, the same religion used to govern people was always used to excuse a man’s bad behavior granting the man resolution from his sin. Women who disagreed or dared to speak their opinion were classified as witches who were then tried and hanged. This story described such a difficult journey for Mary Deerfield as she tries to divorce Thomas after he stabs a fork into her hand requiring months of disabling pain from the broken bones. Mary becomes desperate and seeks assistance from several people to support and provide refuge from Thomas’s ire. It’s a compelling story not unbelievable for the time period with an ending which gives hope for the future of women in society.


I received a complimentary digital copy from Edelweiss and NetGalley vis the publisher. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

This was the first book of Bohjalian that I have read, but it will not be the last! I have been on a puritan/witch story kick lately, and this one was immensely satisfying, creepy, historical, and utterly haunting. The dour atmosphere and subtly sinister setting did an excellent job of showing the reader how easily everyday events can be attributed to evil, when evil appears to be all around and the nights have never been darker. Chris Bohjalian made the "new world" a terrifying place, and I was captivated by Mary's story from the first page to the last.

First, readers need to know this is more historical fiction than mystery or thriller. It's a slow burn as you get to really know Mary, who is living in Boston in the 1600s. She's married to Thomas, who is nearly twice her age and not a good husband. He beats her (called "cruelty" during that time) and when she tries to petition for divorce, she has to contend with a court of magistrates, all men.

Mary is also dealing with rumblings of being accused of witchcraft. Forks - the devil's tines - are found in her garden. These are brought up many times throughout the book and lend themselves to the suspicion of witchcraft. In the 1600s, if a woman was accused of witchcraft, they were hanged. Again, appealing to a court of men didn't bode well for women. Mary has her flaws, for sure. She's attracted to another man. She distrusts her servant girl (who she believes is interested in her husband). She doesn't get along with Thomas' daughter from a previous marriage, as they are nearly the same age.

But what is done to her is frustrating. This book truly captures what it was like in the 1600s in Boston, complete with language that matches that time (I love the phrase "drink-drunk"). The book is long, but the end is worth it. Everything comes together and is resolved.

This was an exceptional story that brought modern feels to a 17th century world.
I have always been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials, so I was excited to hear that Chris Bohjalian was tackling this era in his latest book.
What I enjoyed about this story:
-this was not set in Salem, but had the same vibe in Boston.
-Mary was a smart and modern women who really appealed to me
-the book was not set in a court room for the majority of the story. It had the perfect balance.
-the length of the book was initially brow raising, but ended up flying through it
-loved the actual quotes from the court case at the beginning of each chapter

What I didn't like as much:
-the ending. This was a bit far fetched to me and a little too happy for a Puritan story.
-the step-daughter and the fact she never told anyone or took action against her father for abusing her mother. Seemed like a hard secret to keep.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and rated it high. This was my first book by Bohjalian but it most certainly will notbe my last. Check out my IGTV review on this title @wordsandwine_bookclub

It is never easy to read about the victim of spousal abuse but step back in time to 1662 when women had very few rights and it’s easy to see that Mary Deerfield’s life is not going to be easy. The daughter of wealthy merchants, Mary is married to Thomas Deerfield, a pillar of the community. Everyone thinks that Thomas works hard and provides a comfortable home for his much younger wife. But the community doesn’t see him when he drinks. Only Mary knows what it is to suffer his rages.

One fateful day, when Thomas has had too much to drink, he grabs hold of a three-tined fork and rams it into Mary’s hand. The pain and fear of what he’s done drive Mary to seek refuge with her parents. She thinks that the best thing to do is to divorce from Thomas but unfortunately for Mary, it’s much easier for the community to point the finger and accuse her of witchcraft than to listen to her testimony of cruelty.

Why even their servant girl only speaks highly of Thomas and is quick to point out the devil’s forks and other strange things that she witnessed in the household. Mary is forced to return to her home and to Thomas but she will find a way to escape her misery.

I’ve read some reviews that thought the author’s use of language and too many “thees” and “thous” were distracting but to me, I actually felt like I was in the time period. I thought the court scenes were so interesting and the very idea of a woman seeking a divorce during that timeframe is fascinating. If there is one thing that I didn’t like as much was the ending because it did feel a bit too perfect but that said, I really enjoyed reading this book. If you are at all interested in the Puritans, a historical setting and/or witch trials, I recommend it.

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