The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen KentMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this book for a book discussion group, and I am so glad I did. Since the Crucible, I have been very interested in the black mark on early American history -- the Salem Witch Hunts and Trials. Martha Carrier is the mother of the narrator, and she is a historic figure who was actually one of the 19 men and women hung during the Salem Witch Trials. The writer does a good job of bringing through the voice of a child as narrator without making us feel it is totally childish. The realities of the prison and the paranoia and fear as well as jealousy that prevailed during this time are thoroughly described. However, it is the prison that I find the most disturbing and gut-wrenching. I believe this is how it really was. The reaction (and this is not a spoiler since the historic record already indicates the girl's mother will be hung) of the young girl to her mother's hanging is very believable and really makes you want to hit somebody up the side of the head. How could people behave this way, how could so many people be imprisoned on the weight of spectral evidence, and how could they believe a confession under torture was really a confession seems amazing given our modern age, but the author gives us a glimpse into the superstition of the time. For more fiction on this historical era I would suggest the
young adult fiction "Witch of Blackbird Pond" and the play by Arther Miller "The Crucible". Now the Crucible also connects to the political climate of the McCarthy hearings -- or what I call the McCarthy Witch Hunts. However, that is another review.
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