The Witching Tide By Margaret Meyer

You may have noticed that there are a lot of books about witches available right now, some based on historical witch hunts that took place. The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer is one of these books. It is inspired by the events of the East Anglian witch hunt in 1645-7, in which more than 100 innocent women lost their lives.

If I may draw on a rather unusual analogy, this book is like a Victoria Sponge cake. It has different layers, each adding a component that makes it whole. The main story is the sponge, although it's certainly not light and fluffy. But it is the bulk of the recipe and needs to work. Once you add jam and cream, the whole thing becomes complete.

When I started reading, I believed this book would be like others in the same genre. A witch hunt, a focus on one main character (Martha) and her involvement in the events of the time. And it is that. But it is also so much more. In terms of the witch hunt, it is a harrowing yet compelling story. The author does not gloss over or avert your eyes from the horror of what takes place, and many women were condemned based on neighbours turning against one another, often to settle their own petty grievances or jealousies or to turn the attention away from themselves. Elements of the story made me cry, but mostly they made me angry over the unfairness of it all. Angry over the fact that these women died over such minor insignificant issues and were killed under the authority of one man. Martha is put in an impossible position during the witch hunt, trying her best to help the other women but also putting them and herself in danger over using a Poppet, a wax witching doll she got from her mother. This element adds a component of dark magic to the story.

When you lift that story layer underneath, you find the jam - the red fruit that bleeds into the sponge, without which the cake would be incomplete. This layer is the rich themes that arise from the story and writing. In my opinion, these were associated with loss but were also about friendships and hardships shared by women. There is the physical loss depicted by Martha losing her mother, which is frequently referred to, giving us the sense that Martha has never recovered from the grief of this. On top of that, we realise the sacrifices Martha has made. She is an older woman - a midwife, servant and healer helping other women to have their babies yet has none of her own. She is a loyal servant but at the cost of not getting married and giving over her life to Kit and his wife. She is a healer yet unable to heal herself and her inability to speak. She is never heard. She has many opinions but is not able to speak them out loud. How many women feel this way? How many women stay quiet rather than voice their views, concerned about the consequences of speaking up?  Elements of this book spoke to the deep core of what it's like to be a woman and how we turn to other women in times of need.

And finally, there's the cream, the part that cements everything together. The writing is beautiful. There were sentences I read repeatedly, and the way the setting and, in particular, the sea is captured as a backdrop to the horrors in the village is wonderfully done. I grew up in East Anglia, and small details took me there. In addition to the setting, the authenticity of the historical elements is delivered just right. I believe it had the right balance of not being too much or too little.

If I had to summarise my views on this book, it wouldn't necessarily be my favourite book of the year. It's not an easy read and has some harrowing content. That said, it will likely be the one I think about most. It has many layers and will appeal to different readers based on their age and life experiences. I've already recommended it to others, and I'm sure will continue to do so.

5 stars - Margaret Meyer is one to watch. I can't wait to read her next book.