Ruth Clapp is astonished when she arrives in the afterlife and is greeted, not by fire and brimstone, but by her husband’s three previous wives. Captain John Clapp is a mariner, merchant, tavern-owner, author, well-known wit and suspected sorcerer. His life is well-documented. His wives are mentioned only in passing. As they fill in the gaps between their dates of birth and death, the women -Ruth, Elizabeth, Billa and Dorothy - disclose the story of their intertwined lives, bound together by a set of embroidered bed curtains, a lucky blue and white amulet, and a struggle for agency in the wake of a 17th century man on the make. The Four Dead Wives of Captain John Clapp is biographical historical fiction from the viewpoint of the women history has rendered invisible.
"The perspective of this posthumous narration allows for the direct expression of the wives’ reflections on the patriarchal conditions of their (former) existence — without fear of reprisal. Whether it is in commentary on a scene as it is being told, or in open discussion among the narrators about sexuality, this book persistently offers a perspective not available in its historical period, or in the historical record. This is an engaging thought experiment that asks questions that, in the 21st century, we feel must have been present to these historical figures, even if they could not have articulated them in these terms."
- Chris Fanning, The Picton Gazette
Now available at Amazon and Books and Co. in Picton