3.5 stars

This is a fictional account of the Salem witches in the late 17th century. Told from the point of view of Tituba, who was a slave in Barbados, sold along with her husband to Reverend Samuel Parris who moved with them to Boston hoping to get a position there, but settled for a position in Salem Village. The Parris’s had two young girls in their care – their only daughter, Betsey, and their niece, Abigail. When the young girls started having fits and blaming it on witches, it was Tituba, along with two others who were first named as the witches causing the fits.

I thought this was good; I liked it. About 2/3 of the book was leading up to the witch accusations, some of which was just them all getting settled first in Boston, then in Salem -- a small village where Tituba and her husband were not used to such cold. In this fictional account, Abigail really comes off as a troublemaker – you can see it coming. (She was the first to start having “fits”.) There was a short point form section at the end that explained some of the things that really did happen. ( )

This is a historical novel, taking real characters and events, and imagining the deeper relationships and conversations and such that would have brought on the events. Fleshing out the known history with fictional imagination, true to what we do know.

The historical setting is the Salem witch trials. It takes its time getting there. The first hints of witchcraft don't appear until past the half-way point, and the actual trials are all in the last 10% or less of the book.

Tituba, the Salem Village minister's slave, is a fine sympathetic character. One thing that feels odd in the book is that slavery is never really condemned. The book was originally published in 1964. I think if the same story were written today, there would be some real discussion of the immorality of slavery. Tituba and her husband John are the only slaves in the book. Until the witchcraft issue arises, they are largely treated as servant members of the household.

I appreciated the brief postscript which told a few of the real facts of the events, and the facts of what happened to the real Tituba after the period of the novel was over. ( )