"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.
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