The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Novel About Colonial American Life and the Salem Witch Trials
Life has always been a struggle, but in The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent, one can argue favorably that life in Colonial America had more than its fair share of challenges. One part family drama and one part historical drama, The Heretic's Daughter absorbs the reader in a tale of faith, family and society that is equally riveting and disturbing.
Family Life in Colonial America
Hard work and religion were the main facets of Colonial American life in Kent's novel. The average family worked their fields and for the most part maintained a self-sustained lifestyle. This way of life was supplemented by attending religious sermons on Sundays, which served as both a spiritual service as well as an opportunity to socialize. No doubt life was difficult during this period in American history: the unlucky members of society were struck down with smallpox or were killed in Indian raids.
The hardships and tender moments of family life are reflected from the point-of-view of the eldest daughter of the Carrier family, Sarah. Through her eyes readers are drawn into her world, experiencing the severe illness of her brother, her close relationship with her cousin and her conflicting relationship with her mother, Martha. In addition, Sarah has to struggle with the conflicts of family relationships as she attempts to bridge the gap between her loyalty to her own family and the new relationship she forges with her aunt's family.
Colonial Life and the Impact of the Salem Witch Trials
Gossip and innuendo are a lively pastime for the colonial people of Andover, Mass., especially when the topic of the day was witchcraft. It took little, oftentimes a wrong look or a long-forgotten harsh exchange of words, for one person to accuse another of being a witch. Men, women and children were removed from their homes and faced biased judges and lying accusers, only to be falsely convicted of bewitching crimes and sentenced to either imprisonment or death by hanging.
The witchcraft persecution soon reaches the Carrier home and with it comes the arrest of Martha. Unlike her predecessors, she refuses to give a false confession and steadfastly holds to her belief that the truth will eventually be her redeemer. Sarah and her two brothers are also arrested and face the same charges of witchcraft as their mother.
During the length of her detainment, Sarah faces harsh physical and emotional encounters that alter her impression of her mother and family. As a result of gut wrenching personal experiences, she wholly and proudly identifies herself as her mother's daughter and a woman of strong personal conviction.
Author Kathleen Kent's Family Ties to Salem Witch Trials
One of the most interesting aspects of this novel is that the character of Martha Carrier was an actual person and an ancestor of the author, Kathleen Kent. Carrier, who is Kent's grandmother nine generations ago, and was hung after being tried and convicted of being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This lends the story a fascinating bit of authentic historical drama.
The Heretic's Daughter is an impressive debut novel from Kent. It presents its readers with a haunting depiction of one of the most difficult times in American history and certainly leaves its audience feeling grateful for the freedoms and laws that exist today.
Book Stats:
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
ISBN# 0316024481
Little, Brown & Company, 2008
Hardcover, 352 pages
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
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