Witch Hunt by Syd Moore
| Witch Hunt by Syd Moore | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Susmita Chatto
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| Summary: Sadie is enjoying writing a book about the Essex witch trials – but the timing could have been better. Her mother has just passed away, her head is a mess, there are noises in her house that she can’t really account for – and someone is sending her sinister messages. Are the witches really as far back in the past as Sadie believes? | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 416 | Date: October 2012 |
| Publisher: Avon | |
| ISBN: 978-1847562692 | |
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The history of witchcraft and the complexities of current social politics do not appear to be the easiest ingredients to blend smoothly into a novel. But Moore has achieved this, skilfully weaving the threads of the middle ages with the modern day. This achievement has also been mixed with some fascinating points about feminism, witchcraft and Essex stereotypes, all the while presenting them as the narrative of the protagonist, Sadie.
Sadie is a well-drawn character whose passion for her subject is instantly appealing. Seeing Essex through her eyes may be a revelation for some and Moore has managed to make the cultural background of recent years not just interesting but vital to the story as a whole. Clearly Moore is a writer who has no trouble crossing boundaries and even genres. As the novel develops, we are frequently taken to and from the darkness of middle age witch trials to more contemporary problems, like cyberstalking and perceptions of mental illness. But Moore’s style of writing is so fluid, it is a seamless transition from one to the other, and it’s easy to imagine Sadie’s feelings as she finds herself coming up against a raft of unusual situations while researching her book.
Sadie’s experiences are all highly relatable and that is one of the book’s real achievements. Most readers will have experienced situations where we should have been worried, but didn’t wish to be neurotic or appear so to others. In a book that also deals with the problems and stigma of mental illness, these things are key. Sadie finds it hard to tell what is real and what she is imagining in the period after her mother’s death, and it is inevitable that her experiences are belittled by those who simply think she is reacting to it. Moore also has some plot twists up her arm that prove the complexities of the human mind and make the novel even more gripping.
The novel includes a lot of detailed history and I found that fascinating, but I do wonder if fans of more straight forward thrillers might see it as an interruption to the other events taking place. The novel is well structured and the pacing is just right; there are some scenes of real horror in the novel that rise out of the most innocuous of circumstances and subsequently make the shock factor really high. The one thing that did seem strange was Sadie’s calm in the face of such situations; a heroine, to be sure, but perhaps one who was a little too strong in some parts and would have benefited from more frailty.
Although Moore has made any number of points, social and political, through this novel, the novel itself has not suffered in any way. The storytelling is clear and concise and certainly delivered many spine chilling surprises, and the characterisations are strong and clear, even for those who only appear fairly briefly. Overall, this is a good spine chiller that will please those with a particular interest in the topic.
If this book appeals then you might like to try A Case of Witchcraft by Joe Revill.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Witch Hunt by Syd Moore at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Witch Hunt by Syd Moore at Amazon.com.
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