I’ve been fascinated with “witches” being burned or hanged as a way to control women for whatever reason for a long time, so I was excited to read this historical novel by Beth Underdown. It’s told from the point of view of the sister of the embittered Mathew Hopkins, who found a legal way to murder women.

Hopkins was a real man, but much else of the story was conjecture or fabrication on the part of Underdown because there was so little documentation to go on. Still, it makes for a fascinating story of the horrors of the way this claim of “witch” was to get rid of “drunken women, women who had inconvenient babies or bawled insults in the streets.”

Set in 1645, sister Alice Hopkins comes home widowed and pregnant and doesn’t want to believe her brother is spearheading this effort, but when he drags her along to find proof of these witches, she tries her best to thwart his efforts, but she has no power.

When a woman miscarried, a woman that she or her husband might have had a resentment toward might be accused of being a witch. To prove this, the women would be tortured for hours by being put in uncomfortable positions without sleep until they “confessed.” Similarly, bad crop yields could be blamed on someone the farmer didn’t like.

I found this an intriguing glimpse into the horrors of this time in our history.

Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to review this novel.

For more of my reviews please see: http://theresaalan.net/blog/

Whew. This book was slow to grab me and I took a few evenings to get into it, but once it did, I literally did not put it down until I was finished. It compelled me to bear witness through Alice's eyes to the power that misogyny and fear can have in a community, and the power of one laser-focused man to have over 100 women put to death for reasons that are thinner than cellophane.

As a practicing 21st century witch, this historical fiction reminded me powerfully of the honor and respect due to those whose knowledge of herbs or midwifery, kindness, or simplicity could have them accused and murdered as the very thing I proudly claim today. How many of them were not witches at all, but women merely trying to live their lives. How I am the daughter of witches who could not be burned, crushed, or hanged; but also because this is how history works, very likely also the daughter of someone who was, and even one who accused a neighbor or friend out of fear.

This is an important aspect of modern witchcraft that we must not lose sight of, and Beth Underdown's book refuses to let us off the hook.

Wasn't the ending I was expecting but wow, I loved it. Needs a follow up, I think.

Full RTC

I thought I would really enjoy this book, I love historical fiction, but while I didn’t hate it there was something about it that felt a little off. I thought the end page was very clever and and made me almost groan out loud. Witch trials and that kind of thing is a subject that interests me and makes me really mad at the same time. I’ll probably read more on the subject at some point

I was hesitant about this book since it’s a historical fiction but the storytelling, to me, made it so enthralling. Following the story of Alice and seeing the witch trials through her eyes was hard to keep away from. I think the story was written in a way that made it feel authentic and like a real account of the struggle during a time like that. The only thing I wished for more out of this book was insight into the trials themselves and maybe more perspective from accused witches.

Underdown paints a portrait of a chilling reality, more so because of how unremarkable she makes Matthew Hopkins's witch hunts seem. I don't mean unremarkable in the sense that her narrative is boring, but rather that the people of this English region, spread far apart with limited 17th century communication, so easily give way to Matthew's hunt as if he is doing an unremarkable thing. Underdown's creation of his sister Alice (an invention but based on the reality of his having unrecorded siblings) was an effective way to explore his fatal proceedings against the women of Essex from the point of view of someone who would have an idea of his inner workings but also be threatened by his mania. A lot happens "off page" in this book, because Matthew is away doing his business while Alice is at home, which gives the reader the feeling that a woman in 17th century England must have had - her world is very small and the doings of the larger world seem very far away. It was a very effective narrative strategy. Because of this, it almost seems like a very slowly-paced domestic tale for the reader of that type of historical fiction, but I think it would satisfy those and other readers. I enjoyed it all, and I enjoyed the speculative twist of the ending. It's been too long since I've read a good pile of historical fiction!

The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.

This historical fiction follows the career of self-styled (and real life) Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, as told by his sister, Alice. In the 1640s, during the English Civil War between the Catholics and Protestants, Hopkins gained infamy for his dogged pursuit of witches in the Southeast of England. It is estimated that anywhere from 100 to 300 women perished due to his work. Like the witch hysteria of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, Hopkins focused his attentions on independent, outspoken, and/or unpopular women. And, the times being what they were, a good deal of anti-catholic hatred also informed his persecutions.

This book is told from the point of view of Matthew Hopkins’ older sister, Alice, recently widowed and returned to her hometown. Through guile and intimidation, Matthew enlists Alice to help him in ferreting out witches, which she does with increasing reluctance. As Matthew’s obsession grows in intensity, so does the menace Alice can sense underneath his brotherly affection.

The Witchfinder’s Sister is a carefully researched and intricately detailed historical fiction. Underdown does a great job conveying the sense of claustrophobia and dread that haunts the main protagonist. There are no (real) witches or demons here; the horrible things humans are capable of inflicting upon one another more than serve to provide horror.

I will say, however, that as a protagonist, Alice Hopkins does feel a little bit flat. She seems to have no agency or larger sense of herself beyond what others want of her. Rather that being an active part of the story, she seems to simply drift from plot point to plot point. While this may be intentional on the part of the author (a more spirited woman would likely have fought more), it does make her a bit dull and frustrating as a narrator. By contrast, Underdown did a wonderful job with Matthew Hopkins, he is terrifying and broken, a source of horror and begrudging pity.

Fans of darker historical fiction, or those interested in the histories of witchcraft hysteria will likely enjoy this book. Underdown does a fantastic job of bringing England in the 1640s to life, and her sense of pacing palpably increases the reader’s sense of dread as the narrative unfolds.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Engrossing and chilling -- a well-told, readable tale, filled with historic detail and a mystery -- all deftly woven together. The story seems particularly poignant given today's political climate.

Drags on a bit, but she throws in a nice little twist at the end!

Witch hunting is BLEAK