The Witches of Cambridge

In The Witches of Cambridge, female solidarity is depicted as the most powerful and essential form of magic, serving as a life-saving defense against a patriarchal world that seeks to isolate and control women. This sisterhood is both an emotional support system and a source of literal, tangible power that offers refuge, healing, and mutual protection. It manifests as a formal institution in the Lilith Society and as an unbreakable personal bond between characters like Ava Abbot and Lauren Bell. The novel argues that this collective strength, rooted in shared history and mutual aid, is the true source of witches’ resilience, allowing them to survive and thrive in a society that persecutes them.

The Lilith Society is the primary embodiment of this sisterhood. Founded as a refuge for women cast out of Boston, its origins lie in a legacy of providing sanctuary for those in need. Rose Bridewell, the first witch of Cambridge, uses her resources—gained through her own mutually supportive bond with a fellow witch, May Mather—to create a community where “any woman in need must never be turned away from the door” (47). Remembering that May Mather rescued her when she was in need, Rose pays this generosity forward, creating an organization that rescues countless women in generations to come.