Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

Katharina Kepler is illiterate, so it is her neighbor, friend, and legal guardian Simon who writes down her account of being accused of and tried for witchcraft. Simon doesn't like to stand out or attract attention to himself, but he feels a sense of obligation to Katharina, so he commits himself to standing by her in her troubles. He goes with her to the court, speaks up for her in his understated way, and writes down verbatim what she recounts as her experience.

Katharina's narrative includes her sharp evaluations of all the people involved, and sometimes whimsical preoccupations. Her principle accuser, the glazier's wife, she call the Werewolf. The Werewolf's brother she calls the Cabbage. The local governor, whose name is Einhorn, she calls the False Unicorn. She dotes on her cow, Chamomile, and offers medical advice to anyone who seems to be ailing. In many ways she is an easy target for people who resent her, and she refuses to change her behavior in the face of the accusations against her. Her son, the astronomer Johannes Kepler, is also a strike against her, since he published theologically suspect writings and is at odds with the Lutheran and Catholic churches.

The book alternates between Katharina's narrative (as written by Simon), personal notes inserted by Simon about his own state of mind, and testimony from witnesses that appears in questionnaire form. It's funny, maddening, and sad, and also the most enjoyable book I've read this summer.