Witch Child

Mary is a witch - or, as she says, 'so some would call me'. Her narrative, told in the form of a diary, begins in 1659 with the torture and hanging for witchcraft of the woman she has always thought of as her grandmother. How, then, is Mary to be saved? Rescued by a mysterious woman and dressed as a puritan, Mary joins those who are emigrating to America in the hope of a better life, free from persecution. But fear of witches travels with her ...

Rees's vivid narrative brings confidence and feeling to her subtle unfolding of events. A strong sense of the past is conveyed with deft touches as lice are combed from hair, or a Tithingman pokes those in a congregation found slumping or nodding. Mary, always warily on the margins of her new community as it voyages to the 'New World' and attempts to settle there, observes with an outsider's eye and the reader too, identifies with her caution. For where can this free spirit, this witch or not-witch find real acceptance? Rees's outstanding fiction carries not only historical and psychological conviction but it has been admirably served by her publisher who have put care and thought into the elegantly inviting design of this book. From 'Mary's' wary gaze on the jacket cover that commands your attention to the contemporary wood engraving of the ducking of a witch to the chapter openers written by a 'quill pen', there is a satisfying rightness to this production. Young readers will be enthralled.