A modern-day Salem witch trial

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By Mary Kate Nolan
Hometown Weekly Intern

“Could a witch hunt happen again in Salem … and what would it look like if it did? Would we recognize it for what it was before it was too late?” These were the questions around which author Brunonia Barry based her latest book, “The Fifth Petal.”

The plot follows the bloody consequences of the 1692 Salem witch trials reaching all the way to the present day. The town of Salem must accept these consequences when the death of a boy on Halloween night resembles all too closely the unsolved murders of three women twenty years before while they were attempting to consecrate the graves of women executed for witchcraft.

Patrons of the Westwood Library mingle while they await Barry’s introduction. As they exchange earnest pleasantries and share a few laughs, one gets the sense that they are all old friends reuniting after a long time. The sunlight jumps through the only open window to illuminate the podium like a spotlight. Barry is welcomed by a warm and enthusiastic round of applause as she steps up to the podium, half bathed in light and half hidden by shadows.

The author’s voice seems to come from somewhere far away as she reads the first of three excerpts from “The Fifth Petal,” this particular one describing Halloween night in Salem. Her tone of voice is not dark, necessarily, but heavier somehow, as if the knowledge of what is about to befall the characters is weighing her down like a large stone. As she reads, one can almost feel the listeners shaping this world of fiction in their minds, aided by Barry’s incredibly vivid descriptions, so that it might resemble reality.

Barry proceeds to lighten the mood by joking that hearing this excerpt may spare the audience members from ever having to go to Salem themselves on Halloween. The readers roar with laughter at Barry’s delightful humor throughout her entire talk.

Barry goes on to disclose that what first drew her to write about the Salem witch trials, aside from her residency in the town, was what she referred to as “Salem’s worst-kept secret” – that the hangings did not actually occur on Proctor’s Ledge, but, rather, behind what is now a Walgreen’s parking lot. As a relative of Rebecca Nurse, who was executed for witchcraft in 1692, Barry also gleaned inspiration for the story from her rich family history.

She opens the floor to questions, eager to hear from her readers, who are prepared with specific and informed inquiries. Barry answers everything from the reason for her interest in music therapy (mentioned in “The Fifth Petal”) to the family anecdote behind her first name, which translates to “brown” in Latin. She also fields questions about her two preceding novels, “The Lace Reader” (a New York Times best seller) and “The Map of True Places,” which also take place in Salem, Massachusetts.

With their curiosity having been satisfied, readers retire to the lobby for snacks and an opportunity to have their copy of “The Fifth Petal” signed by the author herself.

However, Barry leaves her readers not only with her signature but also with this food for thought: “Salem has wanted, in all three of my books, forgiveness. And what’s keeping Salem from getting it? We’re keeping the history alive.”

Can the world ever fully forgive Salem for its trespasses?

Can you?