The Witching Tide: The powerful and gripping debut novel for readers of Margaret Atwood and Hilary Mantel

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Hearing Kit’s voice upstairs as he conferred with Mistress Agnes; knowing with utter certainty that Prissy’s arrest was the beginning, had set something in motion, some pitiless mechanism that could be neither stopped nor diverted. Inspired by David Copperfield, Kingsolver crafts a 21st-century coming-of-age story set in America’s hard-pressed rural South.

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer | Hachette UK The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer | Hachette UK

Slippery to define but commanding in her presence, the witch has long been a fascination for storytellers. Haunting, harrowing and unflinching, and yet moving in its portrayal of the extraordinary inner strength of persecuted women, Meyer’s impressive debut promises to be one of this year’s best literary novels. Overall, this story captures the injustice and savagery of witch trials in a compelling prose and the creation of interesting characters.Perceived blame for the vagaries of nature and illness – the coughing sickness that can’t be cured, dead hens, stillborn or disfigured babies, cows with ‘the bloat,’ winter storms, tragedies at sea – become a cause for female suspicion, leading to betrayal even among the best of friends. Told from the perspective of a silent woman whose inner voice insistently pulls the reader along, The Witching Tide is atmospheric, moving and lyrical. The ignorance and fear that could be evoked in the simplest of things – a birth mark, a misspoken word, or a bitter vendetta – each leading to something horrific, that of being labeled a witch. We’re a platform for in-depth discussions of contemporary literature, society and culture, featuring established and emerging reviewers from the South Pacific.

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer: A harrowing and

At the end she senses the presence of a collective of countless other women who have suffered and died.One morning, the peaceful atmosphere is violently shattered and Martha becomes a silent witness to a witch hunt. Village life in the 1640s and the sensory details of the natural world experienced by Martha are particular strengths in this beautifully crafted novel. Yet, Martha's own mother gifted her a poppet, a small wax doll, with words to use her gift carefully. It took a really long time, like more than a year when it finally came to me that she would have a sign language.

The Witching Tide: A Novel by Margaret Meyer, Hardcover The Witching Tide: A Novel by Margaret Meyer, Hardcover

Her prose is beautiful and I genuinely felt sad in some parts, so that shows I connected with the characters. I mean, it’s bad enough to lose your life, but to lose your name as well really just obliterates you from history. The author did a fantastic job of showing how religious fear and petty arguments among neighbors turned to wild accusations of witchcraft.In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that belonged to her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection. I love to read about the day-to-day life of this time; it appeals to me and is one of things I love most about historical fiction.