Saturday Read: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

I’m always keeping my eye out for the newest historical thriller. (Wow, that sounded really nerdy….) They are a perfect combination: history + suspense. I love when an author can turn a simple historical fact into a full blown novel, especially when there is intrigue involved. Needless to say, I was quite excited to find “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” in my mailbox. Not only is it based on an infamous point in American history, but also includes a little supernatural, making it fiction perfection in my book. (No pun intended.)

“Deliverance Dane” takes place in 1991 and also 1692. For you history buffs, you will recognize 1692 as the year that the infamous Salem witch trials took place, where nineteen men and women were hung for allegedly committing “witchcraft.” The witch trials are regarded as a huge blemish in American colonial history, but with “Deliverance Dane” Katherine Howe uses a new approach: that maybe some of the women did actually practice some witchcraft.

The novel flip flops between two time periods and storylines. In one, set in 1991, Connie Goodwin, a graduate student at Harvard, is stuck repairing her grandmother’s ancient house in the small town of Marblehead, Massuchusetts, near Salem. In another set in 1692, Deliverance Dane (a fictional character) is being put on trial for witchcraft.

One day while cleaning, Connie finds a slip of paper in a Bible with Deliverance Dane’s name on it and begins an adventure to find out who Deliverance was. Along the way, Connie meets Sam, a brilliant man who abandoned his academic career to repair church steeples. Together they venture deeper into Salem’s dark and twisted history, tracing Deliverance’s family all the way up to the present day – and trust me, there is a twist there! When Sam has a horrible accident, Connie must look to the past and confront her own heritage to save his life.

“Deliverance Dane” is different because Howe explores the possibility that witchcraft (or “physick”) was actually practiced back in the 1600’s. Not witchcraft in the oft thought of sense – magic spells, summoning the devil, etc -  but that by using herbs and being in tune with nature, one can find the cure for anything. The supernatural part of the novel sets it apart from other historical fictions. It paints a new picture of the witch trials, one of misunderstanding as opposed to completely and utter craziness. Not that the trials were justified, just explained by ignorance and fear.

I found “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” to be a great, smart summer read. Energetic, engaging and all-together fascinating, I can honestly say that I learned quite a bit about colonial America and was entertained at the same time! I recommend this one to all our readers, especially history buffs!