The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

This book was a good one to read, especially with Halloween coming up. It’s about the Salem Witch Trials and the idea that maybe real magic isn’t as hokus pokus and abracadabra as we think (well, actually, maybe a little MORE abracadabra than we think). It’s about Connie Goodwin, a stressed out graduate student recently accepted into the PhD program she always hoped for. Shortly after her acceptance, Connie’s wacky and hugely misunderstood mother tells her that her grandmother’s long abandoned house has accumulated a hefty amount of unpaid property taxes and that it needs to be sold to pay the bill. Connie grudgingly makes a promise to her mother that she will spend her summer cleaning up the old house and making it sellable after its many years of neglect. Things start to get spooky when Connie discovers that the women in her life, past and present, weren’t always what they seemed to be and that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. The book goes back and forth between the present day and 15th/16th century Salem to tell the story of a large group of women who were fatally misunderstood. It talks about the perils of being a successful woman, past and present. It also talks about religion as a scapegoat, which is often something that comes up when discussing the Salem Witch Trials. What makes this book even better is the author’s own family connection to Elizabeth Proctor and Elizabeth Howe; two women who experienced the Salem Witch Trials. Elizabeth Howe, sadly, did not survive them, which makes this story hit home as she is a character in the book. Also, the author’s own background in American and New England Studies offers authenticity to the more historical aspects of the book. I was particularly fond of the background information that the author provides at the end of the book because it legitimizes a lot of what she is saying and makes you realize how much of the book really is non-fiction. While the real magic bits are a bit much for me, it does make you wonder if there is more than meets the eye. This is a great new read and I look forward to more books by Elizabeth Howe.

Rating 4/5