Pam
asked
Chris Bohjalian:
Mr. Bohjalian! I was so excited to see the subject matter of your newest novel as I am a great-granddaughter of Margaret Scott, who was hanged for a witch in Salem, Mass., in 1692. How did you come to choose this subject matter? I will be anxious to see how you portrayed your protagonist and I look forward to immersing myself in another of your wonderful works!
Chris Bohjalian
Thanks, Pam -- and please call me Chris. You have an important ancestor. I am so sorry for what she and her family endured.
Let's see: the inspiration for Hour of the Witch.
Puritans lived with anxiety and dread: Satan was as real as your neighbor and they fretted constantly over whether they were saved or damned.
Now, when we think of New England’s history of hanging people for witchcraft, we beeline straight to Salem in 1692. But in 1656, the governor of Massachusetts had his own sister-in-law hanged as a witch. And the first real witch hunt was Hartford in 1662 – three full decades before Salem.
One thing many of the women executed as witches had in common was that they were smart, opinionated, and viewed as outsiders: sometimes, they saw through the patriarchal hypocrisy that marked a lot of New England Puritanism.
I was looking for a way into a novel of suspense set in the seventeenth century, but one that I hoped would chart new ground. I came across a reference in the records of Boston’s Court of Assistants from 1672: a woman named Nanny Naylor successfully sued her husband for divorce on the grounds of cruelty. And I was off and running.
Let's see: the inspiration for Hour of the Witch.
Puritans lived with anxiety and dread: Satan was as real as your neighbor and they fretted constantly over whether they were saved or damned.
Now, when we think of New England’s history of hanging people for witchcraft, we beeline straight to Salem in 1692. But in 1656, the governor of Massachusetts had his own sister-in-law hanged as a witch. And the first real witch hunt was Hartford in 1662 – three full decades before Salem.
One thing many of the women executed as witches had in common was that they were smart, opinionated, and viewed as outsiders: sometimes, they saw through the patriarchal hypocrisy that marked a lot of New England Puritanism.
I was looking for a way into a novel of suspense set in the seventeenth century, but one that I hoped would chart new ground. I came across a reference in the records of Boston’s Court of Assistants from 1672: a woman named Nanny Naylor successfully sued her husband for divorce on the grounds of cruelty. And I was off and running.
More Answered Questions
Tammy
asked
Chris Bohjalian:
Hey Chris! You know I’m a fan of your writing. I have read all your books from 2011 on plus I’ve read The Double Bind. Which book in your opinion is a next read for me out of your books dated 2010 and under? I want to eventually read them all, of course. I can not wait for The Flight Attendent to hit the stores! ~Tammy
Colleen
asked
Chris Bohjalian:
I read Midwives in one of my first book clubs ever when I worked for Minnesota Parent magazine back in the late 90s. When the meeting was attended by a couple of homebirth advocates, they clapped when I advised your book did not change my mind about being open to a homebirth. Glad to report my third was born wonderfully at home. What do you have in the works next? I've read a few of your books, but gladly have more.
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