The Familiars
Stacey Halls Mira Books, 2019 (Hardcover edition) 420 pages ISBN: 9781786698895 Overview Stacey Halls’s The Familiars situates the Pendle Witch Trials at the heart of a finely wrought historical Gothic. Set in 1612 England, the novel centers on Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a young noblewoman beset by perilous pregnancies, and Alice Grey, a midwife whose knowledge and influence become the fulcrum of suspicion and intrigue. The narrative probes early modern gender politics, the boundaries of medical knowledge, and the performative power of confession and accusation within a community convulsed by rumors of witchcraft. Halls blends documentary texture with a tightly paced, character-driven plot, crafting a psychological thriller steeped in historical milieu—a literary pursuit that invites readers to question who actually wields power in a culture that indicts women as agents of purported dark magic. Synopsis and Structural Overview The novel unfolds as Fleetwood, whose body...