The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn (Little, Brown Book Group UK)

It's the year 1665/1666, time of Great Plague and in the little village of Eyam people have many secrets, especially women, women with knowledge to heal as is midwife/wise-woman Isabel. These women are in great danger to be accused as witches. 

Isabel also tries to help Mae with her knowledge, bright young woman who in secret reads father's apothecary books and wants to be accepted as his apprentice. But Wulfric is a rigorous and tormented man with dark secrets on his own. In time becomes obvious that Mae is not safe in her home.

Tensions grow and it seems that there is only one cure. Hemlock cure.

The Hemlock Cure is based on actual events that took place in a small English village in 1666, during the Great Plague, when the village virtually quarantined itself in an attempt to stem the growing number of deaths from the plague.

The narrative is a reflection of a life in a 17th century. Influence of the religion and patriarchal society, mixed with fear of gruesome disease and also secret knowledge and education of women. 

Dark and gripping, the reader cannot put the book down. 

4/5