A Single Witness (Christine Balint, Spinifex)

Christine Balint’s gripping historical fiction, A Single Witness, is based on the true story of Anna Maria Bonon, a girl from a poor 1750s Italian rural village who works in a mill by day and farms silkworms at night. Violently assaulted and sexually abused by her father, she looks for help from her grandmother, her local priest and her neighbours. When all these avenues fail, she embarks on a remarkable and arduous journey to present her case to the Council of Ten, a powerful state security service of the Republic of Venice. Balint superbly recreates the social mores, prejudices and living conditions of village life, giving readers insight into the everyday battles Anna Maria faces. While the narrative is simple on the surface, its themes are complex. Because incest and rape were usually concealed and witnessed only by the victim, the Council’s principle of “one witness, no witness” meant such cases seldom led to convictions without further evidence. In addition, a contemporary Venetian proverb held that “it takes 7 women to make a single witness”, meaning a woman complainant was even less likely to receive a fair hearing. Mirroring the lifecycle of a silkworm from helpless pupa to strong and hungry caterpillar, Balint’s Anna Maria transforms from a powerless child to a woman in dogged pursuit of justice. For readers of Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 1800RESPECT on 0458 737 732, or visit www.1800respect.org.au.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Katy Briggs is a marketer with a degree in English and history. She is an avid reader across myriad genres. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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