Slewfoot by Brom
As the summer gave way to fall, I've began seeing Slewfoot mentioned everywhere. Some people were saying that read it every year in the autumn and I had to put it on my list. I've just been waiting for the weather to get crisp to read it and I finally got the chance in October. Slewfoot was published in 2021 and is now a USA Today Bestseller as well as an Amazon #1 Bestseller in historical fantasy. Be warned, it was not always an easy book to read. It dealt with animal cruelty and death, body shaming, bullying, death, misogyny and sexism, torture, violence, blood, grief, religious bigotry, suicidal thoughts, murder, fire, injury, and a literal witch hunt.
It's the 1600s. Abitha's father happily got paid to sign Abitha up (from England) to travel all the way to Connecticut and marry a Puritan man. Luckily, Abitha got maybe the most palatable Puritan as a husband and the two of them have worked out something of a partnership as her husband works to finish paying for the price of their farm from his brother. When the end of the loan is in sight, Abitha's brother-in-law yanks the farm from under their feet and trades the farm to pay for his own debt. Then, Abitha's husband dies suddenly and she is forced to make some very difficult decisions about her own future. Should she take Wallace up on his offer to marry her off, giving her a roof over her head and a meal in her stomach, or should she finish what her husband started and take over the farm herself? Meanwhile, an ancient entity that some call Slewfoot wakes up not too far away from Abitha's farm sporting horns and cloven feet. Unfortunately, he can't remember who he is or what he's supposed to be doing, but being near Abitha helps him to remember. He decides to help Abitha's farm, leading to a confrontation between Abitha and those who do not like a woman who takes charge.
This was quite an odd story. Abitha immediately charmed me with her less than godly swearing and inability to be the perfect Puritan woman, but it took me some time to really get enmeshed in the story. And when Slewfoot comes on the scene, I was confused for a bit. To be fair, so was he. But I did end up really getting into it and I was hoping that Abitha would find a way to stick it to her brother-in-law. It also gave me a low grade stomachache for most of the book and towards the end, that increased to full anxiety. It was an interesting book that was not the easest to read, especially at the end, but it also gives a frank accounting of how women were treated when they were too outspoken or did not conform to how society believed they should act. Did I like the end of it, I did not. Not on any level. But I'm very glad that I read it.
I'm giving Slewfoot by Brom 4 stars out of 5. I do not think that I'll be reading it every year but I don't think that I will need to. I think that parts of this novel will stay with me for a good, long time.
For more from the author, check out https://www.bromart.com/
Pairs well with honeycomb brittle and using a simple pulley system when needed.
My favorite quote:
"'Your soul? I do not want your soul. What would I do with your soul?' He seemed genuinely perplexed."
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