The mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Who knew that Norway had an even darker past with witch trials than our country?  In the early 1600s, fifty-two witch trials leading to the deaths of over 90 people were held in Finnmark.  Fourteen of these deaths were men, all Sami, the indigenous people of that area and Finland, who are wrongly and insultingly called “Lapps.”  All the women were Norwegian and from the area, the most northeasterly corner of the country, where this engrossing novel is set.  Based on actual events – there was a sudden and unusual storm that killed 40 fishermen from the same small island village instantly – and featuring some historical figures who were responsible for these trials, the author skillfully evokes that time and place.  After the loss of the men of the village, women are forced to take on responsibilities not traditionally done by them in order to survive.  This attracts negative attention from men ranging from King Christian IV, to a witch-hunting Scotsman named John Cunningham, to the fictional commissioner Absalom Cornet.  The strong characters, the historical detail, and the vivid descriptions of the harshness of life on the edge of the Arctic Circle, make this book hard to put down.  Fear and intolerance.  Hmmmm…. sounds familiar.  Highly recommended.  340 pp.