The story of Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch follows the case of Katharina Kepler, an elderly woman accused of witchcraft in early 17th-century Württemberg of the Holy Roman Empire. It follows her account to her neighbour, Simon, who dictates her words as she speaks about the recent few years of her life where the people of her small town, Leonberg, have blamed their many misfortunes on her activities as a witch. It's a collection of letters, documents and personal accounts taking place across a few years in an attempt to convict or clear her name depending on who is speaking.
From the very start, Katharina Kepler (also called Frau Kepler) tells us that she has never been liked by others, even as a child she would be blamed for many things that went wrong. She says this to a man called Simon, which we later find out is her neighbour who reads and writes her letters for her as she is illiterate, something which was quite common for most people in the 17th century alongside frequent accusations of witchcraft. At times, Simon himself narrates for a chapter or two, taking a break from Frau Kepler's narration to provide his own viewpoint and he is someone who only feels pity for his neighbour having to deal with accusations for heinous acts when he does not see this woman as capable of doing any such thing. It is an interesting dynamic because Frau Kepler needs Simon in a way she does not want to rely on her own children and Simon is at times reluctant though appreciates being her confidant and friend throughout (most) of her ordeal.
The book does fairly well with reminding the reader that these events are taking place in 1618-20 by frequently mentioning historical figures who may have any importance to the lives of people in the Holy Roman Empire at the time - such as the names of dukes or the Holy Roman Emperor or references to Martin Luther and the Reformation. With these elements, the narrator (whether it's Frau Kepler or Simon) reminds us that our protagonist is a devote Protestant Christian woman and is as faithful as she can be, making all the accusations of witchcraft ever more ridiculous.
However, I never felt fully immersed in the time that this was taking place. The time this book is set in should be so important and significant but there were many instances where I forgot when the events of the book were taking place or even where, as I never got a sense for any of the towns or villages Frau Kepler spent any time in. It seemed entirely insignificant and so the dire consequences of Frau Kepler potentially being accused of witchcraft didn't hold any weight or make me feel any kind of fear for a character who came across as an old lady who was discontent with almost everything. This was probably more cause to be accused of witchcraft than walking past a cow every day that eventually got ill and died! This lack of a convincing tone to the atmosphere of the book was quite disappointing considering that Galchen drew inspiration for this book from real historical documents with a few twists to what had happened 400 years ago.
Reasons to Recommend:
- Interested in light historical fiction, not too big on details and a few references to historic figures
- The proceedings of 17th-century witchcraft trials - not so quick and easy as they are dramatised
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