the time it was written, it also had a definite narrative structure. Salem Possessed, however, tends to leap around from point to point like Quentin Tarantino on speed, forcing one to review the facts he or she already knows in order to make any sort of connection between any one chapter and the remainder of the book. In truth, a chronological order in a book of this magnitude would be somewhat difficult to follow as well, but some overall resemblance of continuity would have been nicer than the story from several different points of view.Id suppose that my main problem with the book is perhaps a superficial one. Ive always been mystified by the bizarre events of the Salem witch trials, and to have them explained to me is like learning how David Copperfield managed to make the Statue of Liberty disappear. True, it seems a shallow reason for disliking the book, but based on others opinions of Salem Possessed, it seems that I am not the only one disappointed in the lack of any explanation of witchcraft. Perhaps I did not scrutinize the books contents as carefully as I should have, but nowhere did I find a satisfying explanation for why the accused witches would twitch, or why any outsiders brought into the case would treat it as though it were a completely rational occurrence. But then again, this is perhaps more of a fault of my own than of the authors.In the end, Salem Possessed did indeed leave me with more of an understanding of the events that took place in Salem Village, even though that understanding did seem a little shallow, as I felt it only focused on one aspect of the whole. But regardless of my unpleasant viewpoint on said novel, Mr.s Boyer and Nissenbaum have done an admirable thing by taking the Salem witch trials and examining them by todays standards. By going strictly from church records and personal accounts, the authors have brought a whole new light to what was once percieved as a purely tyrannical act o...
