This short novel is set in late 17th century Denmark. Narrated by a wax doll created by one of the characters, it concerns accused witches, their relationships to one another and their persecutions. I was struck by the novel’s oddity, both in tone and construction. And since I read an English translation from Danish, I credit both the author and the translator Martin Aitken for the striking use of language.
I suspect the novel will more likely be enjoyed by readers who appreciate language for itself. The plot is minimal. I did not strongly identify with the characters and from the beginning little mystery attends their fates. But the detail is quirky and dense, and, as I said, the language impressive. Readers will get a feeling for how people at that time experienced their world. Scattered throughout are spells and affirmations. And readers may encounter new words: gastrolith was one for me.
I was never convinced that the artifice of having a wax doll serve as narrator added any value to the telling of the tale. There is little narration in the usual sense; the text is a collection of short entries, few are traditional scenes with dialogue; these entries greatly in setting and applicability to the story. Sometimes the Wax Child artifice is just silly. “How do I know this,” she says to us: “The dead fly on the windowsill told me.”
