The First Witch of Boston

1646, Massachusetts Bay: Thomas and Margaret Jones are new arrivals to Boston, having left their life in London behind, hoping to start over. Thomas is a cabinet maker and Margaret, “Maggie”, is a healer and midwife and, although, they are at first accepted into their community, it doesn’t take long before the strict, Puritan townspeople take offense to Maggie’s brash, uninhibited and unconventional ways.

To the townspeople, Maggie’s ability to treat people and understand their needs looks more like witchcraft than caring and healing, and she is accused of being a “cunning woman” who is friendly with the Devil, and put on trial for being a witch.

Andrea Catalano’s based-on-true-events novel, “The First Witch of Boston” is a sharp and clever depiction of the real Margaret Jones, who was the first person to be hanged as a witch in Massachusetts. The story is narrated by both Thomas, first, and then Maggie, and readers get to witness the passionate love between the couple, and how the accusations do little to affect these feelings. Maggie (as depicted in the book anyway) is a firecracker, refusing to change who she is for anyone, and there is no doubt that readers will cheer for her, regardless of the inevitable outcome.

“Boston” is well-researched, and Catalano puts a creative spin on the story without reducing Margaret’s tragic tale. Right from the start, readers are pulled into the Jones’ simple life, as they deal with the heartbreak of infertility and child loss. Faith and religious hypocrisy are also huge themes in “Boston”, with community members turning to Maggie for help one day, and turning against her the next, in order to protect their reputation in the Puritanical town.

This is the kind of story where the outcome is already known, as witch trials only ever had one ending. That knowledge, however, did not detract from the enjoyment of “Boston”, and getting to know Maggie and her husband provided an emotional connection that will remain with readers long after the last page.

The witch trials are still of interest to many people today, for any number of reasons, and “Boston” is a fascinating example of one such experience. Catalano’s debut novel is timely and relevant more than four hundred years later, and definitely will connect with readers everywhere. From the brash and outgoing Maggie, who is penalized to speaking her mind, to the influential community figures (all white men in this case), who literally give themselves the power to play God, while claiming to be his disciples, every chapter in “Boston” is engaging and powerful.  If “Boston” is any indication of Catalano’s emerging talent, I can’t wait to see what she creates next.