49 pages 1 hour read

Chris Bohjalian

Hour of the Witch

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Book 2, Chapters 20-24

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Book 2: “The Book of the Witch”

Book 2, Chapter 20 Summary

Mary, feeling defeated and trapped, considers death by suicide. Thomas rapes her their first night back together in their marital bed and, once Mary finally sleeps, she dreams of a child named Desire, otherwise called Desiree. Mary asks the girl if she’s there as a sign that Mary might one day have a child. The girl, with blonde locks and green eyes, eats raspberries until her fingers are stained and leaves Mary with a mark. When she awakes in the morning, she weeps when she sees the mark is not there.

Book 2, Chapter 21 Summary

The next day, Mary asks Catherine whether she’s happy to be back with the Deerfields in their home, especially since she claimed Mary was a witch. Catherine replies that she does not have a choice and tells Mary that she’s afraid to be back in the home, especially since they still don’t know who buried the tines. After this conversation, under the guise of buying bread, Mary goes to the town square to witness Henry being whipped, wanting to be present for him since he took all the blame for their kiss. She watches under a hood, feeling both guilty and responsible for this outcome until Henry pleads with her to flee so she isn’t seen at his whipping.

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