The writing is stylized enough to give it a human touch. It does feel, at times, like you’re reading the unedited, unformated thoughts of the characters. And yet, something about it was incredibly hard to get used to. I’ve been thinking lots about it and I’m still not sure exactly what it is, other than perhaps the tone mismatches the time period – or at least my expectations of the time period. Writing with a more modern feel to it, I had a hard time with feeling as though it felt cohesive with the events. Overall though, strongly written, even if a bit hard to get in the flow of.

I really enjoyed Frau Kepler’s, or Katharina’s, sections of the story. She had a strong voice, a strong personality, and it was always incredibly clear when I was reading her sections versus Simon’s. In fact, all the characters felt alive: in the way they lied, in the way they thought, and in the way they remembered. 

It’s the story of a woman, accused of witchcraft, who is found victim of a campaign to blame all their problems on her. The story’s plot, while always centered on Katharina’s trial and the accusations thrown at her, goes beyond it in the oddest ways, focusing on her cow, her family, and her thoughts on the neighbours in an intriguing way. My biggest critique here is that it took me a while to get into. But it was a surprisingly fun – and then serious and then semi-sad – story that I’m glad to have read. 

A wonderful, apt ending to a fun yet serious story.