Based On A True Story. Justice For The Witches Of Vardo

I have just finished reading the Witches of Vardo, by Anya Berman. A compelling tale of women caught up in the moral panic of the 17th century that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of women across the world.

The story focuses on a small part of Norway on the lives of two women with very different stories. Their fates become intertwined along with several others and they end up brought together thanks to the witch trails taking place on the island of Vardo.

Historical Fiction

Books based on true stories bring something special to the world of fiction. You can learn as much from them as you can from non-fiction (as long as it is well researched). But they owe a debt to the real life people they are about.

Years ago, a university professor asked me a question. Is Schindler’s List/Ark a good story if it tells of the saving of a small number of people during the holocaust rather than telling of the story of any of the millions who died?

This stuck with me, because the same issue comes up again and again and this book is no different. At the back of the book, the author explains that there were around 20 women killed on Vardo, in the story we see the deaths of three. So, is this a representative story of the Vardo witch trails if we saw three women die with no mention of the other 17?

Disservice

I felt as if it did a disservice to those who were not mentioned. The impact of the horrors of what went on was not great enough. Yes, it was personal sticking to such a small number, and yes, the point was made that men were the problem rather than the witches/women. But the scale of the witch trails is what makes them so appalling. Tens of thousands of women (and some men) were killed throughout the western world. And one has to presume they were all innocent of what they were accused. Or at the very least, they were harmless hedge witches with no capability to sink boats or bring about plagues.

The witch trials of any particular place should be treated in one way, as a way to expose the horrors brought by men against women. This book does not do a good enough job of exposing this and I couldn’t help but be left a little disappointed.

Historical fiction is a genre I love, the patience and skill of the authors who write it surpasses all but the complex fantasy writers. Taking the time to colour in the blank spaces left by the history books, learning of the time the book is set and being creative enough to make it interesting all at the same time is a skill I lack, but envy. Read the Witches of Vardo, it is not a bad book. But don’t stop before you get to the bit that explains what really happened. And maybe read up on the facts as well.

Charlotte Wood is a feminist and writer of the macabre and sinister. She reads horror, fantasy, classic literature and historical fiction (with a preference for history from a woman’s perspective).