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by Dave O. Dodge (Author)
Hannah: one woman's quest for vengeance and enlightenment, is a historical novel that explores survival, trauma, and the moral ambiguity that is born out of violence. It is a complex tale blending folklore and fact, set in a world defined by fear, faith, and geographic struggle. This biographical novel is based on the life of Hannah Duston and is set in 1697, during a period of brutal frontier conflict in colonial New England.
When Hannah, a Puritan wife and mother, is captured during an Abenaki raid on her town of Haverhill, Massachusetts, her world is shattered in an instant. Forced into captivity, she is driven north in a harrowing march through a harsh and unfamiliar wilderness. She is cut off from everything she has known, with only a certainty of a life of torture and slavery before her. With no knowledge of her home, family, or her community, she has only the rigid structure of her Puritan faith to guide her through the ordeal. What lies ahead appears certain: a life of hardship, servitude, and suffering.
As the journey unfolds, Hannah is pushed to the limits of endurance. She becomes filled with a thirst for vengeance and a fierce will to survive. Her grief, fear, and anger begin to reshape her understanding of herself, her faith, and the world around her. Alongside other captives, she begins to consider the possibility of escape. Hannah devises a plan for her freedom, but at what cost or with what consequences? It is far from clear, and relies only on her inner strength to achieve the impossible. What emerges is not just a plan for survival, but a turning point that forces her to confront her own boundaries between justice and revenge, while juggling her Puritan teachings.
This novel does not present easy answers and does not judge the actions of Duston. Instead, it examines the emotional and moral weight carried by those who live through violence, leaving the reader to decide. Hannah and her family have long been debated by historians and writers alike; they are all portrayed with complexity rather than a verdict. She is neither a hero nor a villain, but a human responding to extreme circumstances. How far would a mother go for revenge before she becomes a monster?
Set against the stark landscape of early northern New England, Hannah also reflects the tensions of Puritan belief, where ideas of providence, sin, and redemption shaped how people understood both suffering and survival. As Hannah struggles to resolve her actions with her faith, the novel asks persistent questions: How far can a person go in the name of survival? When does vengeance become something else? And is it possible to find meaning, or even enlightenment, after acts that cannot be undone?
"This historical fiction took me to another time and place... after two hours, I could not put it down. This is a story that should be shared with everyone. The bravery and spirit of HANNAH is in every mother's heart." C. Llewellyn
"Dodge masterfully intertwines themes of trauma, belief, and retribution to reveal the price of endurance in a world consumed by violence and fear." P. Greenwood
