Review: Slewfoot

3/5 stars

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery, by Brom (2021)

A fun read for lovers of witch &/or Puritanical witch-hunt era stories.

Abitha has been married for 2 years, living off the land in "the New World" of America, having been sold off to her husband, Edward, by her father back in England. Despite the arranged marriage, the two genuinely care for a like each other - in particular because strong-willed Abitha is the backbone that Edward needs. But for the Puritans, a strong-willed woman is a threat to their way of life. To top it all off, Abitha does, in fact, deal in what some might call "the devil's work," making charms and poultices for the women of the town. As long as she keeps her head down, and goes to church every Sunday, she can mostly get by without too much attention. But when Edward's selfish and manipulative older brother Wallace puts Edward & Abitha's farm up for collateral to cover his own debts, Abitha has many things to say about it. And when Edward goes missing, having fallen into a suspicious, seemingly never-ending pit, she and Wallace must go head-to-head.

In the meantime, we are also learning about a man-goat creature who is just coming back to life, aided by his "wildfolk" who take the shape of a possum, a fish, and a raven (except they have creepy child-like faces and sharp teeth). The creature, who eventually earns the name Samson, befriends Abitha and together they find they can do magic - bring corn back from burnt stalks, commune with bees, and fly on a broomstick!

The question is - Is Samson a devil, or a god? The tricky thing is that even Samson does not know. He's forgotten his past, so spends much of the novel confronting truths about himself. While probably the slowest part of the story, I liked that middle chunk the best. I enjoyed his musings, and the budding friendship between him and Abitha. It was also interesting, if horrifying, to see how easily the town could be convinced - through a few lies and a lot of fear-mongering - to label Abitha and others as witches.

The thing I found a little disappointing was that basically they're all right - not about her motivations, but she by the end she really is witch who consorts with a being that looks much like the horned goat-figure that is often associated with the devil. And while Abitha's eventual, bloody revenge is satisfying, it's also a little boring, and the story loses the nuance that the rest of the book plays with.

But, I enjoyed it! And the illustrations are great.

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UP NEXT: Those We Thought We Knew, by David Joy