"Abitha could see that these people believed, truly believed, that they were doing God’s work here this day. And there was something about these people that horrified Abitha even worse than those whose faces were lined with cruelty. As at least cruelty was a thing that could be pointed out, confronted. But this belief, this absolute conviction that this evil they were doing was good, was God’s work—how, she wondered, how could such a dark conviction ever be overcome?"
Abitha is not having a good time. She was sent to the colony of Massachusetts to marry a man she never met by her father in London after her mother's death. Her mother was a "cunning" woman, or a woman known to make herbal remedies and charms, a gift that Abitha tries to keep alive amongst the pious Puritans. Thankfully, she comes to care for her husband, but the same cannot be said for her brother-in-law, Wallace, who owns the farm they live in and has put it up for collateral in a loan he owes to a local Magistrate. Being so close to owning their own land, Abitha and her husband work hard to make their final payment so they don't lose their farm, but tragic circumstances get in the way, and Wallace's sabotage isn't helping anything. But there's something stirring underground; a literal force of nature that seeks blood and vengeance, plagued by his own confusion and the spirits of the forest. This being and Abitha enter a seemingly mutually beneficial agreement so that Abitha can fulfill her promises and connect with her cunning ancestry, and the being can get answers as to who he is and what he is there to do. But can they overcome the hostile, unforgiving Puritan culture that threatens both of their lives?
This book was a journey, and a pretty good one. I walked into this book hating Puritans and how the culture of a disgusting, backwards people can be so pervasive that it is prevalent to this day. And I walked out of this book with the same amount of rabid hatred, but after having been radicalized by a fictionalized account of their bullshit. I like it when a book leads me to feel strong emotions, particularly when I feel that vindication is around the corner. This does a good job of that, the Bad characters are Very Bad, the Good characters are Very Good, and there's little in-between. Some people might not like that, preferring more dynamic characterization, but I think it worked for this story.
The pacing did feel stilted at times. There was a lot of build up, and there were thematically identical scenes happening over and over again just to really drive how how Good/Bad a character is. Some of the sub-plots also felt unsatisfying. Abitha's story was really interesting but Slewfoot's personal story was disjointed and often boring. I understand the necessity of it, but it could have been executed better.
Also, and this is 100% a personal preference, but I was hoping the gods in this book would have more mysticism around them rather than acting exactly like humans. I was disappointed that Abitha and Slewfoot basically had a buddy buddy friendship where they chatted and talked about their feelings. I would have liked this much more if Abitha had a deep reverence and fear of Slewfoot, only requesting his power when she was in deep need. That change would have enhanced my liking of the book, but as it is written, it didn't detract from it.
Overall, it was good. It made me angry, which is what it set out to do. And it paid off in the most righteous female rage/vengeance. I would say I support women's rights and wrongs, but I don't think Abitha did anything wrong!
