HESTER

Saskia Maarleveld delivers a beautiful performance in HESTER, an imagined story of the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's SCARLET LETTER. Immediately after Isobel and Edward Gamble arrive in Salem, Massachusetts, from Scotland, Edward takes off to sea again. Master seamstress Isobel has to be careful--she sees letters as colors--and in 1829 Salem, years after the infamous witch trials, that can still be dangerous. Nat's attraction to Isobel is instantaneous. Maarleveld provides the necessary electricity, the yearning, the longing, and, of course, the guilt. Maarleveld's Nat is weak, troubled by his desires; her Isobel is luminous, struggling to maintain her dignity. And the depth of Maarleveld's secondary characters makes them more than mere background. This well-written, well-researched, and masterfully performed novel provides satisfying listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2022]