[Review] Seven Dead Sisters by Jen Williams
Written by: Jen Williams
Published by: Absinthe Press
Alizon Grey is on the road to her inevitable death; a wooden pyre built to burn her for witchcraft. However, her journey is thrown off course when something rams the cart transporting her is thrown. We follow Alizon on her journey to find safety; following the story of her life and how she lost her sisters at the hands of someone who was sworn to protect them. Alizon is thrown into the fight of her life as she traverses the dark and terrifying woods.
Williams weaves a tale of loss, desperation, and survival through the eyes of Alizon Gray, a woman being transported to a burning, accused of witchcraft. In the past I have overlooked horror that takes the witchcraft persecution route, however, when offered the opportunity to read this novella, I didn’t pass it up⸺I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly captivated I became with the story. Typically I will DNF a period piece of writing as I have more often than not been scorned by the length and repetitive nature of the sub-genre. However, the journey that we are taken on with Alizon is riveting, unique, and gripping in the way that it draws you in; compulsively turning pages to find out the fate of every woman in Alizon’s story.
“The flesh on his arms, turning brown and putrid, was pocked with clusters of moss, thich and green, and vital, while colonies of mushrooms burst from the corners of his mouth, pushed up through the thin, stubbled skin on his neck.”
Williams left me in absolute suspense with the way in which she intertwined present and past together; as Alizon waits for her fate to be determined. The word choice is perfect for the setting of the novella and transports me to a time and place in the way in which the world was built around me. Williams goes to great lengths to put the reader in the moment with Alizon as she experiences everything going on around her. The incorporation of old English mixed with terminology holds true to the time period that the story is set in. I appreciated the incredibly tasteful use of descriptive language that emphasises the more gruesome elements of the story; including a brutal attack that felt gritty while reading through.
Overall, Seven Dead Sisters is an interesting and wonderful novella that has converted me into period pieces once again; restoring my faith that these stories can be enjoyable and digestible if written with attention to detail and precision. Alizon is a wonderfully dark protagonist and storyteller, the journey told through her perspective added depth to the tragic story of her and her sisters. This novella is interesting, dark, and gripping; Jen has woven a magical and folk lorish style story and world around the tragedy of Alizon Grey.
