I’m an English and history major, so of course I love historical fiction! But my academic life choices also make me incredibly picky about the genre. If I’m reading historical fiction, I either really love it or I strongly — and I mean strongly — dislike it.
Stacey Halls’ 2019 novel “The Familiars” falls firmly in the “I really love it” category.
“The Familiars” takes place in 17th century England during the Pendle Hill Witch Trials (the British equivalent of the infamous trials in Salem) and follows 17-year-old Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a far-too-young married noblewoman trying to produce an heir for her husband, Richard.
At the start of the novel, we are told that Fleetwood was forced into marriage by her family when she was just 14 and that she has suffered many miscarriages in the three years since.
In an attempt to prevent any further medical issues from happening, a midwife named Alice Grey is brought in to help Fleetwood with her pregnancy, and the friendship that is forged between these two women becomes the centerpiece of the novel.
The set-up to this novel is lined with disturbing subtext. Fleetwood is glaringly young for the life situation she is in, and the text purposefully sets up her age as the elephant in the room; you can’t help but get angry at her situation on her behalf.
One of my favorite elements of this novel is its dedication to the period it sets itself in. In my experience, many historical fiction texts take the general context of the time period into account but fail to truly steep the narrative in a specific enough historical moment. “The Familiars” does the opposite, constantly, but not excessively, tying Fleetwood’s story to events occurring in 17th-century English society.
Fleetwood is a main character that you can’t help but root for. You feel extreme sympathy for her situation and wish you could jump through the page to help her, but there are also moments where you are smacked in the face by how resilient and strong she is. Following her story is a true treat in this novel.
Alice is a fantastic figure as well. She is sharp and mysterious, forcing you to continually ask questions about who she truly is. She possesses so much color as a character and is a true stand-out of the story.
If I had to voice one criticism of “The Familiars,” it is that the other characters seem to fade into the background. Even though there are times when I would like the other characters to be given more layers, it can be argued that the entire point of the text is the focus on Fleetwood and Alice, so I can’t criticize this too much.
The real star of the show is the relationship between the two women. Alice allows Fleetwood to grow and advocate for herself in ways that she never thought possible, and Fleetwood provides a necessary trusted figure in the enigmatic Alice’s life. These two women bring out the strength and courage of each other in such a beautiful way, and their relationship is my favorite part of what this novel has to offer.
Additionally, Stacey Halls’ writing is fantastic. I have read both of her other books and they are equally as well written. You feel like you intimately know Fleetwood by the end of this novel and the nuanced way that Halls writes her female characters should be studied. This novel is truly the embodiment of the power of a novel about women written by a woman, and in my opinion, should have far more hype than it does.
