Even in sound puritan minds, virtue teetered on the brink of wretchedness; devotion peered into an abyss of perdition.
The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World
by Malcolm Gaskill
Genre: History
About: Witch trials, like smallpox, spread across both Old and New England during the 1600s, and none more famously than in Salem. This account doesn't follow the peak or the most famous trials, but instead shows a glimpse into puritan life, and how damning those times were in the small town of Springfield for Hugh and Mary Parson.
The Good
The portrait of puritan life is given such thoughtful complexity in this novel. This isn't about religious hysteria; the community of Springfield is examined beyond their fear of the devil, or even simple grudges against their neighbours. Life in New England was hard. The climate was extreme, the land was wild and death came swiftly and often. Times were strange not because of a belief in witches, but from the ramifications of civil war in Old England, the monarchy ending and puritans fighting among themselves on what was heresy and what was rightful freethinking. There was rationality and scepticism around witchcraft, but doctrine disagreements and unease towards changing times created an environment ripe for devilry. I loved how Gaskill gives us so many conflicting minds and a sense of why accusations of witchcraft were normalised - why it made sense for so many communities living in desperate times.
The Bad
While I felt very connected to Mary, Hugh and Pynchon, other characters merged in my mind. There are a lot of names to follow, and because of the narration style we're given overviews to most of the characters which make them difficult to differentiate. This was especially noticeable towards the end when we're told what happened to everyone after the witch trials. The community of Springfield seemed to scatter and I didn't get a good sense of anyone's lives outside of the main players.
The Somewhat Iffy
The novel is a true historical account with plenty of well-researched sources, and yet it pushes towards fiction a lot of the times. Gaskill is a talented writer who gets inside the heads his characters - real as they were, they do feel like characters when we're told how they felt and what they were thinking at the time. The personalities, the motivations, and why the events unfolded the way they did, all read very plausible and are backed up through sources, but they do stray into the realm of speculation. It reads as fiction and non-fiction simultaneously - but I wish it had picked one style.
Overall
A fascinating read that shows human nature during turbulent times. If you're at all interested in witch trials or this beginning period to American history, this novel explores the nuances in thought-provoking ways.
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