A Lullaby for Witches

Fox’s dual-narrative novel explores the agency (and lack thereof) of two women separated by 150 years but connected in ways they don’t know. In 1870s Tynemouth, MA, Margaret Harlowe is the only daughter of the wealthy Harlowe family. Frustrated with the limitations put upon her, she takes up herb and magic lore. She provides medical services to the women of Tynemouth, who come to her in secret for help but gossip about her being a witch when she encounters them in public. Margaret’s loneliness ends when the son of a local shopkeeper, Jake, begins to keep company with her. Though Margaret doesn’t realize it, that relationship will lead to tragedy. In the present, Augusta Poole takes a job as a curator at the Harlowe House, now a museum, in Tynemouth. She’s thrilled to leave a dead-end job and to be working in her field. Her excitement grows when she finds what seems like a lost member of the Harlowe family, Margaret. As she delves into Margaret’s life and eventual disappearance, Augusta begins to experience inexplicable events and finds her link with Margaret is stronger than she knows.