A Review By Zoe at Warwick Books

Written by a descendant of the main characters in this historical fiction novel, ‘The Heretic’s Daughter’ is set in 1690s Essex County, Massachusetts. The novel is told from the point of view of Sarah Carrier and begins with her family returning to their home village whilst fleeing from a smallpox outbreak- and unknowingly bringing the virus back. Infecting the village doesn’t help their already poor standing in the community, neither parent is fond of attending the Puritanical church, the matriarch is quick to voice any problems she has with her neighbours in colourful language, and father Thomas is a figure of suspicion with a shadowy past.

As the family struggle to adjust to their new home, and Sarah and her mother battle with their difficult relationship with each other, several girls in the neighbouring town of Salem start making accusations of witchcraft against their neighbours. The accusations begin to spread like the smallpox, and creep closer and closer to the Carrier family.

This was an interesting, quick read for me. The language flowed well, and whilst I have a few reservations about some of the historical accuracy- e.g. a Scottish character proclaiming that “as a Scot” he disliked the Stuart King Charles I and was all for Cromwell- I found other aspects fascinating, such as the description of life in prison, and that, even when found innocent, prisoners had to remain in prison until the cost of keeping them there had been paid. A good read for fans of historical fiction or people interested in the Salem Witch Trials.