Name: Amanda's review of The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Item: The Heretic's Daughter
Rating: 5
Author: Amanda

Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was hanged on August 19th, 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, unyielding in her refusal to admit to being a witch, going to her death rather than joining the ranks of men and women who confessed and were thereby spared execution. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and wilful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. In this startling novel, she narrates the story of her early life in Andover, near Salem. Her father is a farmer, English in origin, quietly stoical but with a secret history. Her mother is a herbalist, tough but loving, and above all a good mother. Often at odds with each other, Sarah and her mother have a close but also cold relationship, yet it is clear that Martha understands her daughter like no other. When Martha is accused of witchcraft, and the whisperings in the community escalate, she makes her daughter promise not to stand up for her if the case is taken to court. As Sarah and her brothers are hauled into the prison themselves, the vicious cruelty of the trials is apparent, as the Carrier family, along with other innocents, are starved and deprived of any decency, battling their way through the hysteria with the sheer willpower their mother has taught them.

The Heretic's Daughter

Astor Reinhardt

We think we understand all there is to know about the Salem Witch Trials. We think we learned it all in high school history or from reading The Crucible in high school English class. But this book tells us we are wrong. It offers us first-hand the events through the eyes of a child, ten year old Sarah Carrier. It is pure horror, the worst kind. The true kind that stems from how horribly one human being can treat another. 

In 1691, Sarah and her family relocate to Andover, Massachusetts. Unknowingly, they bring with them smallpox. Sarah and her younger sister Hannah are taken back to the village of Billerica to reside with Sarah's aunt and uncle until the pox runs its course. It's there that Sarah truly feels at home, but she's soon taken back to her parents. Sarah and her mother, Martha Carrier, have a tender relationship, and I loved how this book explored their bond. It's almost like a love letter to mothers and daughters everywhere. Which makes the final blow to this book all the more startling.

Soon, the hysteria of Salem flows into nearby Andover. The Carriers have been disliked for years and it's not long before Martha Carrier is accused of witchcraft. Not long after that, her children, including Sarah, will be as well. Sarah stands trial and is thrown into prison after confessing to witchcraft, all while her mother stubbornly maintains her innocence, even knowing it will lead to her downfall. Martha Carrier is a wonderfully crafted character. 

While this book started off a little slow at first, it quickly gained momentum and was beautifully written throughout. I loved the narrator, Sarah's, omniscience throughout the book. She is reflecting back on her experiences, and I loved the facts and histories peppered throughout. It makes the book feel all the more real, and therefore terrifying. I learned so much from this story, never thinking in my ignorance of how many people outside Salem proper were also affected by the witch trials. 

One small critique I have is that the book is almost magical realism, but the author restrains this as often as she can. I would have liked to see either more or less of this element. Especially thinking early on when Sarah's cousin Margaret helps a Quaker in need and says she only did it because the "little people" in her dresser told her to. This was so odd to me, and it's never really addressed or brought up again. I understand it can just be attributed childhood fantasies, but it was no mistake to include something witchy like that in a book about the Salem Witch Trials.

Nevertheless, this book was heart pounding and heart shattering at the same time. It is a piece of history I think everyone should read. Knowing the author is a direct descendant of Martha Carrier makes it and its message all the more potent.

I would have also liked an author's note at the end explaining a few things, such as Sarah's father's personal history, and partly just because I always love reading author's notes. But it didn't take away from my enjoyment and fascination of this book; this novel produces fear, sorrow and hope seemingly all at the same time.

Amanda

We think we understand all there is to know about the Salem Witch Trials. We think we learned it all in high school history or from reading The Crucible in high school English class. But this book tells us we are wrong. It offers us first-hand the events through the eyes of a child, ten year old Sarah Carrier. It is pure horror, the worst kind. The true kind that stems from how horribly one human being can treat another. 

In 1691, Sarah and her family relocate to Andover, Massachusetts. Unknowingly, they bring with them smallpox. Sarah and her younger sister Hannah are taken back to the village of Billerica to reside with Sarah's aunt and uncle until the pox runs its course. It's there that Sarah truly feels at home, but she's soon taken back to her parents. Sarah and her mother, Martha Carrier, have a tender relationship, and I loved how this book explored their bond. It's almost like a love letter to mothers and daughters everywhere. Which makes the final blow to this book all the more startling.

Soon, the hysteria of Salem flows into nearby Andover. The Carriers have been disliked for years and it's not long before Martha Carrier is accused of witchcraft. Not long after that, her children, including Sarah, will be as well. Sarah stands trial and is thrown into prison after confessing to witchcraft, all while her mother stubbornly maintains her innocence, even knowing it will lead to her downfall. Martha Carrier is a wonderfully crafted character. 

While this book started off a little slow at first, it quickly gained momentum and was beautifully written throughout. I loved the narrator, Sarah's, omniscience throughout the book. She is reflecting back on her experiences, and I loved the facts and histories peppered throughout. It makes the book feel all the more real, and therefore terrifying. I learned so much from this story, never thinking in my ignorance of how many people outside Salem proper were also affected by the witch trials. 

One small critique I have is that the book is almost magical realism, but the author restrains this as often as she can. I would have liked to see either more or less of this element. Especially thinking early on when Sarah's cousin Margaret helps a Quaker in need and says she only did it because the "little people" in her dresser told her to. This was so odd to me, and it's never really addressed or brought up again. I understand it can just be attributed childhood fantasies, but it was no mistake to include something witchy like that in a book about the Salem Witch Trials.

Nevertheless, this book was heart pounding and heart shattering at the same time. It is a piece of history I think everyone should read. Knowing the author is a direct descendant of Martha Carrier makes it and its message all the more potent.

I would have also liked an author's note at the end explaining a few things, such as Sarah's father's personal history, and partly just because I always love reading author's notes. But it didn't take away from my enjoyment and fascination of this book; this novel produces fear, sorrow and hope seemingly all at the same time.

Astor Reinhardt &
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

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Astor Reinhardt &The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

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Join the club

Astor Reinhardt &
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent