The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman

400 pages

Publisher: Bonnier Books UK

Book Club Read

 

Blurb

Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, embarks on an affair with the local merchant, it's not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardø, to be tried and condemned as a witch.

Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren - herself the daughter of a witch ­- whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent to Vardø in disgrace. What will she do - and who will she betray - to return to her privileged life at court?

These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King of Denmark. In an age weighted against them they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.

 

Review

I’m a bit conflicted about this book. It contains a powerful story, featuring at least three fascinating women. However, it also felt drawn out with what for me was a bit too much description and background information. While some of what the author shared was captivating because it enhanced my understanding of the character in question or allowed me to appreciate the harrowing circumstances under which they were forced to survive, other sections came across as having been added because the author fell in love with her subject.

The story is set in the second half of the 17th century in the northern regions of Norway. Life is grim, and superstitions are strong. When 16-year-old Ingeborg’s mother is accused of witchcraft and taken to Vardø to stand trial, she follows with her equally young friend Maren in a quest to rescue her last remaining parent. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t long before Ingeborg and Maren are also arrested. Because of their young age, they’re not locked up in the witches’ hole with Ingeborg’s mother but are instead put under the supervision of Anna Rhodius, a middle-aged woman exiled to Vardø by the king of Denmark.

A lot of this story (maybe a bit too much) is taken up by explaining how these women ended up on Vardø. The actual trial, the outcome, and the aftermath take up relatively less space in this book. The latter part of the story is also where what had previously been basically a historical tale slips into magical realism. And if I’m perfectly honest I have to admit that I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that, although I do approve of the outcome it led to.

Anna, Ingeborg, and Maren are fascinating characters doing their best in a world where all the odds are stacked against them. While I sympathised with their plight, I can’t say I liked them very much, though.

I fear that all of the above makes it sound as if I disliked this book, and nothing could be further from the truth. The Witches of Vardø is a beautifully written story with a fascinating and heart-wrenching premise. Throughout the story are engrossing flashes of myth and folklore and all of it put together paints a vivid picture of the harsh and cruel circumstances under which these women are trying to survive.

The pitch line on the cover says: A dangerous time to be a woman. And while that was most certainly true during the 17^th century, it does beg the question if there ever was or will be a time when it won’t be dangerous to be a woman. Because my biggest takeaway from this story is how little things have changed. Sure, nobody accuses women of being witches in the literal sense of the word anymore, and being condemned to burn to death is (mostly) a thing of the past too, but somehow women will stand accused of ‘making men’ attack them just by wearing revealing clothing, behaving in certain ways, or daring to be out and about after dark. And everything that almost invariably follows for the woman who dares to make such an accusation may not involve literal flames, but I suspect that the questions asked during cross-examination and the vitriol thrown at them on social media only hurt differently, not less.

So, after what feels like a long and not entirely satisfying review, my overall assessment of this book is that it’s an engrossing and horrifying historical story that will leave the reader with plenty of food for thought.