BOOK NOOK; The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn

 

"Last week Marshall dug a grave a day, and the village filled it. So far this week those numbers have doubled. The tailor's house where it all began lies in the middle of the village.  The plague has spread from house to house, east and west. It continues to make its way like a curious visitor - unperturbed by bolted doors, the burning of gunpowder, the strewing of herbs, the dousing of aromatics and perfumes. The children play no more in the streets, but it seeks them instead in their parlours and kitchens. 

It seeks them in their beds."

Being born and bred in Sheffield,  I have always been aware of the village of Eyam.  It is a staple destination on the school trip schedule and all Yorkshire kids are taken there and taught about the enormous sacrifice that the villagers made during the time of the Great Plague.  

I have been there several times, both as a child and as an adult.  Eyam is a very pretty Yorkshire village, resembling the lid of a chocolate box. Due to its history, however, it has a very haunting atmosphere that stays with you long after the trip is over.  To this day, there is an eeriness which lingers over 'the Plague graves'.  It is the kind of place where an entire class of children will fall silent, without being told to by the teacher.  It has a very sobering effect on people.

The Hemlock Cure is set in Eyam during those same Plague years, when the villagers chose to isolate themselves to prevent the disease spreading to nearby Sheffield and beyond. It was a very heroic act and one that will always be honoured and respected by Yorkshire folk. 

Set against this historical backdrop is the story of Mae, the daughter of the village apothecary, who longs to be accepted by her father, Wulfric, as his official apprentice.  But Wulfric believes that women have no place dealing in medicines and while he is happy to let Mae pick herbs and berries etc and prepare them for his work, he won't allow her to do more than that.  Mae is secretly taking lessons from a local wise woman instead and when Wulfric discovers this, he becomes convinced that Mae is a witch.  It doesn't help her case that the Plague is rife in the village and people are dying everyday. Someone must be to blame and witchcraft is as good an explanation as any.  

Narrated by a ghost, this novel wings along at a good pace. It captures the haunting atmosphere of Eyam beautifully, transferring it to the page and showing the devastating effect the Plague had on the village.  The author has inserted her fictional characters seamlessly into the real history of the village, drawing in actual historical characters too, to add weight and authenticity to her story.  

It is a marvelous book and one that has added poignancy as we begin to emerge from a similar pandemic ourselves.  It has also made me want to take another trip to Eyam, to repeat my gratitude at the Plague graves, with a new understanding and empathy of what it means to face and live through a pandemic.  The Hemlock Cure is a novel that would have been a great read at any time, but which will find an even more sympathetic audience in the years that follow the Covid outbreak.  I have very much enjoyed curling up with this novel in the winter evenings, as various storms rage around my home. I highly recommend it. Happy Reading!

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher for review purposes.  It is available now in hardcover and digital download formats. 

 

BOOK NOOK; Witch by Finbar Hawkins

"Wood creaked beneath my feet, like I stepped out upon a still pond.  And floating upon it, I saw a bed of cotton sheets with a quilt of many threads.  A table and chair, a silver brush waiting for hair. And an oval mirror above them all, filled with the light that fell from a gilded window." 

I have just finished reading Witch by Finbar Hawkins which is an extraordinary novel of the witch trials.  I have read lots of novels that tackle this subject, but I have to say that this is one of the finest in terms of the style of writing.  As you can see from the extract above, Witch is a lyrical novel, told in a poetic style and the language has that magical, fairytale quality that I love. It sings off the page, like a cross between a nursery rhyme and an old fable, retold around the fireplace on a cold winter's night. 

It is a book that draws you in from the very first sentence and as it is written in regional dialect, it feels very authentic and original right from the start. It is clear that this author loves language, that he enjoys the musicality of words strung together in just the right way. I got the impression that he thinks very carefully before choosing a particular word, creating magical phrases that are entirely original, such as a blade being hatched from a cane.  This is the kind of training we had on the MA, so it came as no surprise to me to find that he too holds an MA in creative writing. 

The novel is about a young girl who witnesses her mother's death during the witch craze of the 1600's.  She is torn between the need to keep her little sister safe and seek revenge on those who killed her mother.  When it comes to the crunch, she takes the path of revenge and the novel follows her journey as she seeks out her enemies.

There is magic and spell-casting woven throughout the tale, with themes of betrayal, war and superstition being key factors in the turning of the plot. At times it feels quite threatening, as witches are hunted, but I wouldn't say that it's a scary book.  It is a book which questions if revenge is justified when it turns the victim into the perpetrator?  It could also serve as a warning, never to cross a witch!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel over the past couple of nights and I was completely absorbed by this dangerous world. If you like witchy books you will enjoy this one. And if you enjoy reading poetic prose, Witch is one of the finest examples I've read in a long time. Happy Reading!

BB Marie x

AD This book was sent to me by the publisher for review purposes. It is available now in paperback and digital formats.