Slewfoot, Brom

Slewfoot was a fun Halloween season read, even if it never reaches the point of being great (with the exception of Brom’s full-page color illustrations). Across three-hundred pages, Slewfoot tells a familiar tale of witchcraft and devilry set in a seventeenth-century Puritan New England village. Whatever images that brings to mind for you are probably spot on. That’s not praise or a criticism; it’s just to say that you know exactly what you signed up for when you open this book.

Slewfoot tells the story of Abitha, a young woman who loses her husband and then goes through no end of trials and tribulations against a village of patriarchal zealots, greedy opportunists, and the harsh realities of living on the fringes of civilization. Meanwhile, we also follow the “awakening” of Father, an ancient horned spirit who, between bloody rampages, struggles to remember who and what he is.

Slewfoot is a very straightforward dark fantasy that sits somewhere between fairy tale and horror. The tone and prose often border on young adult fiction, while the descriptions and events can get quite gruesome. The explorations of witches and demons draw from pagan naturalism, Christianity, and Native American folklore. There isn’t enough space in this book for any of these philosophies or mythologies to really get breathing space, but it’s an enjoyable journey regardless. Similarly, the novel is too short to properly develop the relationships between many of its characters, so when the time comes for characters to feel loss or seek vengeance, it’s never quite as emotionally impactful as it should be.

If you have read about the Salem witch trials, watched Robert Eggers’ The Witch, or engaged with other tales of witchcraft or Puritan New England more broadly, you will likely find little in this novel particularly innovative or shocking. But if you’re a fan of those stories, then this will fit nicely alongside them.

In terms of its overall memorability, this book probably deserves three stars, but I’m feeling generous because it was fun, I think Brom’s talents as a visual artist alone deserve high, high, praise, and because I would definitely read another of his works when I’m in the mood for some spooky fun.