Geraldine Brooks is an accomplished award-winning author, and she is masterful in Year of Wonders. The story took place in 1666, focusing on the Great Plague of London. Anna Frith, the protagonist, is a housemaid in a small village. Her misfortunes include an abusive father and then being widowed at age eighteen when her husband has a mining accident. She has two children to support and takes a boarder, a Mr. Viccars, who is a tailor. Unfortunately, it turns out that Mr. Viccars has brought the plague into her home in the fabrics he uses for his trade. Shortly after Anna and her children begin to enjoy his outgoing personality, Mr. Viccars succumbs to the plague.
Both of Anna’s children die from the plague, as do many other members of her community, where Reverend Mompellion has convinced people to quarantine and attempt to keep the disease from spreading to other areas. Younger rather than older people become the primary victims of the bacterial infection and swollen lymph nodes characteristic of the plague during this historical period. The descriptions of families losing their children are heart-wrenching, realistic, and devastating.
Elinor Mompellion, the rector’s wife, takes Anna under her wing, and both become committed to helping families during the tragic times. Despite the difference in social class, Anna and Elinor become close friends and allies. They share a mutual desire to learn as much as they can about assisting women in childbirth and providing medicinal and herbal remedies for the illnesses of members of the community. They also offer lots of moral support and companionship.
Although deeply sad and heartrending, I recommend this novel as a poignant account of friendship and compassion. Of course, it also includes social themes of the era. The vicar is a significant character and leader in the community. Therefore, there is a widely held belief that the plague is either God’s or the Devil’s punishment. Additionally, community members face ghosts, superstitions, and fear of witchcraft. Few are literate in the agrarian village, and poverty runs rampant. There are flagrant incidents of thievery, abuse, and other atrocities. A real community that agreed to isolate itself from others during the 1600s provides the basis for this story. The author’s writing is engaging and eloquent.
