When I closed this book late last night, all I could say was "wow." Written as a letter/confession of Sarah Carrier to her granddaughter 50 years after the Salem witch trials, there is exactly the right amount of foreshadowing and reflection. At first, the story is a fairly typical story of a family in the colonies, but soon there are threads and gossip and hatred that one knows will grow into the witch trials. When the hysteria finally takes over, the speed at which people are accused and thown into horrid conditions in a prison consume you. I was angry and thoughtful and shook my head many times as I read. It is masterfully written, with exactly the right pace andmix betwee the horror and the humanity of a story like this.
I am no expert on this time period, but I think this book captures well how a little bit of fear and gossip can take over a community. An added bonus: the author is a descendent of Martha Carrier, the mother in this book. And she's a local author--not just Dallas, but my part of Dallas. I might have seen her in a grocery store!
Highly, highly recommended. It is not an easy book, but it's something that almost everyone should read.