“It is written, and once written, things aren’t easily forgotten.”

My sister told me that she’s given up watching or reading anything in which women or children are harmed. After reading The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, I’m inclined to consider adopting the policy.

Set in the 1600s in a remote village in Norway, The Mercies begins with the aftermath of a storm that decimates the male population. Maren loses her father and fiancée, becoming the provider for her aging mother and brother’s widow. Despite the taboo against women fishing, she begins going out each day with a small group in an effort to keep her family from starving.

Meanwhile, another young woman, Ursa, has just found out she’s been promised in marriage to a Scotsman Absalom Cornet. Absalom and Ursa sail to Maren’s village where he’s to investigate rumors of witchcraft. When investigations turn into accusations, the women must suffer horrors greater even than the ravages of the storm.

Although the events portrayed are indeed gruesome, they aren't gratuitous. Sometimes we have to be reminded of the violence perpetuated in the past to keep us vigilant for the potential threats in our present.