The Bewitching Summary, Characters and Themes

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a novel that combines themes of witchcraft, family dynamics, and the supernatural, set in the backdrop of two contrasting worlds.  The story alternates between Minerva Contreras, a graduate student researching witchcraft, and Alba Quiroga, a young woman struggling with familial obligations on a rural farm.

As Minerva uncovers dark secrets related to witchcraft in New England, Alba contends with her family’s legacy and an eerie curse.  Both women face their own internal and external battles as they confront forces that challenge their understanding of reality, identity, and the supernatural.

Summary

Minerva Contreras, a graduate student at Stoneridge College in New England, struggles with loneliness, academic pressure, and the harsh climate of her new life away from Mexico City.  She is writing her thesis on Beatrice Tremblay, an author who was allegedly involved with witchcraft, and she is particularly interested in the mysterious connections between Tremblay’s work and New England folklore.

However, Minerva’s life is complicated by her role as a resident director, where she manages a dormitory during the quiet summer months.  Despite the solitude, she becomes increasingly fixated on her research, which links the folklore she studies to personal, eerie experiences around the campus.

Her investigation into Beatrice Tremblay deepens when she uncovers letters that suggest Tremblay had correspondence with H. P.

Lovecraft, a connection that piques Minerva’s interest in exploring deeper into Tremblay’s life.  Minerva struggles to gain access to Tremblay’s private documents, particularly those guarded by Carolyn Yates, a family member resistant to sharing any information.

As Minerva’s academic life becomes more entangled with these mysterious documents, she faces mounting obstacles in her quest to uncover the truth about Tremblay’s ties to witchcraft.

Minerva’s isolation is worsened by her interactions with Noah Yates, Carolyn’s grandson, whom she meets during a party at her friend Patricia’s house.  Noah’s behavior is erratic, and Minerva finds herself both drawn to and repelled by him.

Although they have a tense encounter, Noah later offers Minerva a chance to access the papers she needs to further her research.  She is reluctant but decides to take the opportunity, sensing it may lead to a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, in a separate storyline, Alba Quiroga lives with her family on their rural farm, Piedras Quebradas, where tensions are high.  The family faces financial difficulties, and Alba’s uncle Arturo wants to sell the farm and move to Mexico City, while Alba’s brother, Tadeo, is determined to keep it in the family.

The dispute between Arturo and Tadeo grows as they argue about the future of the farm, and Alba is caught in the middle.  She feels torn between her duty to her family and her desire for a more refined, sophisticated life, one that seems impossible while remaining in her rural environment.

Alba is further torn by her feelings for Valentín, a farm worker, who offers her a potential escape from her reality.  However, her growing unease about the farm’s future and the complex emotions surrounding her family only add to her internal struggles.

Arturo dismisses the rural lifestyle as inferior, contrasting it with the opportunities he perceives in the city, which further strains the family dynamics.

As the tensions between Alba and her family escalate, she becomes aware of strange occurrences that hint at supernatural forces at play.  After an unsettling encounter at the market with a woman who speaks of curses, Alba begins to fear that her family may be under the influence of some dark force.

These strange events seem to be linked to the mysterious disappearances in the area, including the story of Virginia, a girl whose disappearance mirrors the themes in Beatrice Tremblay’s writing.

Minerva, now deeply immersed in her research, discovers links between the unexplained disappearances of students like Thomas Murphy and the occult practices she’s studying.  As Minerva continues to investigate Thomas’s connection to witchcraft, she uncovers unsettling details, including drawings that match witch marks and references to supernatural rituals.

Minerva’s pursuit of the truth leads her to the Boston Public Library, where she unearths more clues that hint at a larger conspiracy involving witchcraft in New England.

In a twist, Minerva learns that Noah Yates’ family has a troubling history, including a scrapbook detailing a mysterious list of disappearances known as the “Black List.”  These events, which seem to have occurred over many years, seem to intertwine with Minerva’s own experiences on campus, as she faces strange occurrences and growing paranoia.

A particularly frightening incident occurs when Minerva feels she is being stalked, and she finds herself increasingly unsettled by the presence of a malevolent force.

Minerva’s investigation takes a dangerous turn when she confronts Carolyn Yates, a powerful witch who reveals her involvement in a series of murders tied to the supernatural events Minerva has been researching.  In a tense confrontation, Minerva narrowly survives an attack from Carolyn, managing to use poison to defeat the witch, who melts away into dust, ending her reign of terror.

However, Minerva is left wary of Noah, who may have deeper connections to the occult than he has let on.

Simultaneously, Alba’s life takes a dark turn when she faces the truth about her uncle Arturo.  He turns out to have supernatural powers and is the one behind the curse that has haunted her family for generations.

In a climactic moment of self-defense, Alba kills Arturo, severing his influence over her.  However, the land where he died is cursed, and Alba finds solace by returning to a river where she once played with her brother, Tadeo, reflecting on her survival and the heavy legacy of her family.

As both women deal with their respective supernatural forces, Minerva’s research concludes, but she is left contemplating the lasting impact of witchcraft on her life.  Though she has completed her thesis, she remains cautious, knowing that the dark forces she has uncovered will continue to haunt her.

Meanwhile, Alba reflects on her past and the curse that has shaped her family, realizing that she must move forward with her life, no matter how uncertain the future may be.

The novel ends with Minerva preparing for Halloween, contemplating the witches, the disappearances, and the dark legacy she has uncovered.  Despite her accomplishments, she remains vigilant, aware that her journey into the supernatural is far from over.

Characters

Minerva Contreras

Minerva emerges as a central figure in The Bewitching, embodying the themes of displacement, ambition, and vulnerability.  As a graduate student from Mexico City studying at Stoneridge College, she finds herself caught between two worlds: her academic pursuit of Beatrice Tremblay’s writings and the strange, supernatural occurrences that mirror her own feelings of alienation.

Her struggles with the cold New England setting, academic pressure, and financial instability heighten her sense of isolation.  She distances herself from friends, immersing in research that becomes increasingly entangled with eerie folklore and witchcraft, reflecting her own anxieties about belonging.

At the same time, her role as resident director exposes her to practical, mundane tensions, such as dealing with difficult students, which contrasts sharply with the sinister mysteries she uncovers.  Minerva’s cautious relationship with Noah Yates and her terrifying encounters with Carolyn highlight her resilience but also underline her vulnerability in a world where personal ambition collides with darker, supernatural forces.

Her arc is one of gradual empowerment—facing both literal and figurative demons—while retaining an uneasy awareness that evil is never fully banished.

Alba Quiroga

Alba’s story, set apart from Minerva’s but intertwined through thematic echoes, grounds the novel in family, land, and tradition.  Living at Piedras Quebradas, she represents a young woman torn between familial obligation and her own desires for a different life.

Her attachment to literature and refined experiences places her at odds with her brother Tadeo’s devotion to the farm and her uncle Arturo’s urban ambitions.  This conflict highlights her deep ambivalence: while she yearns to escape the burdens of rural life, she also feels tied to the legacy and identity of her family.

Alba’s connection to the supernatural, particularly her encounters with curses, omens, and the terrifying witch that haunts her, blurs the line between internal fears and external dangers.  Her fraught relationships—with Valentín, who embodies a simpler rural life, and with Arturo, who exerts a more sinister and unsettling influence—intensify her struggle for autonomy.

Ultimately, Alba evolves into a figure of strength and survival, marked by her confrontation with Arturo and her refusal to be consumed by the family curse.

Tadeo Quiroga

Tadeo represents steadfast loyalty to tradition and family land.  Unlike Alba, he does not dream of escape but rather clings to Piedras Quebradas as a symbol of heritage and identity.

His determination to preserve the farm, even at the cost of personal hardship, makes him both admirable and stubborn.  His conflicts with Arturo reflect the larger ideological struggle between rural continuity and urban modernity, and he stands as a foil to both Alba and Arturo.

While his perspective is limited by practicality and resistance to change, it also grounds the family amid turmoil.  His dismissal of curses and superstitions contrasts with Alba’s openness to supernatural threats, marking him as a realist who nevertheless cannot shield himself from forces beyond his control.

Arturo Quiroga

Arturo, Alba’s uncle, embodies disruption and corruption.  As a poet from Mexico City, he brings with him an air of sophistication that contrasts with rural life, but beneath this façade lies manipulation and malice.

He pressures the family to sell Piedras Quebradas, positioning himself as pragmatic while undermining the values Tadeo holds dear.  His disdain for rural traditions and superstitions exposes his arrogance, yet his behavior toward Alba—flirtatious, invasive, and predatory—marks him as a deeply unsettling presence.

His eventual revelation as a figure with supernatural powers cements his role as both a literal and symbolic antagonist, one who represents the destructive forces of unchecked desire and betrayal within a family.  Alba’s final act of killing him severs not only his hold over her but also the insidious influence he exerts on the family’s future.

Noah Yates

Noah is an enigmatic presence in Minerva’s journey, straddling the line between ally and threat.  At first, he appears as a somewhat careless, drunken student with ties to Carolyn, but as Minerva becomes more entangled in her research, his role deepens.

His family history, marked by the sinister legacy of the “Black List” and their involvement with witchcraft, makes him a carrier of dangerous knowledge.  His interactions with Minerva oscillate between moments of assistance and unsettling ambiguity, leaving her—and the reader—uncertain of his true allegiance.

Noah’s complexity lies in his duality: he is both a gateway to answers and a reminder that danger often hides beneath charm and familiarity.

Carolyn Yates

Carolyn epitomizes the archetype of the powerful witch, a figure who combines intellectual superiority with ruthless violence.  As the gatekeeper of Beatrice Tremblay’s papers, she initially represents an obstacle to Minerva’s academic pursuits, but her true nature is revealed as far darker.

Her confession to the murders of Ginny Somerset, Tom Murphy, and others exposes her as both a manipulator of history and a predator who wields witchcraft for personal power.  Carolyn embodies the novel’s exploration of how knowledge, secrecy, and power intertwine, and her eventual defeat at Minerva’s hands becomes not just a victory over a villain but a symbolic triumph of resistance against oppressive forces.

Yet, her lingering presence reminds readers that evil, once rooted, never entirely disappears.

Valentín

Valentín, though quieter in his role, represents loyalty, compassion, and understated strength.  As a farm worker tied to Piedras Quebradas, he symbolizes the honest, grounded life that Alba both longs for and resists.

His affection for her is evident, but Alba’s ambivalence toward him stems from her yearning for a more refined existence.  Nevertheless, his willingness to stand by her in confronting supernatural threats—especially his role in the attempted ritual to trap the witch—underscores his quiet heroism.

Valentín may not embody Alba’s romantic ideals, but he anchors her to the community and embodies the resilience of ordinary people facing extraordinary dangers.

Luisa

Luisa, Alba’s mother, is caught between opposing forces—her brother Arturo’s pragmatism and her son Tadeo’s devotion to tradition.  Her role is defined by mediation, torn loyalties, and the desire to protect her family’s future amid growing discord.

While she often leans toward Arturo’s reasoning, her position underscores the difficulties of women navigating patriarchal pressures within family and society.  Though not as central as Alba, she embodies the generational tension of survival, compromise, and the quiet endurance of maternal responsibility.

Themes

Isolation and Displacement

Minerva’s journey in The Bewitching constantly returns to the feelings of being an outsider, both geographically and emotionally.  Her move from Mexico City to the secluded environment of Stoneridge College in New England highlights her struggle to adapt to a place where the climate, culture, and social expectations are starkly different from her own background.

The quiet campus during the summer intensifies her loneliness, leaving her with an acute awareness of her foreignness.  Her attempts to cope by immersing herself in research only further separate her from potential friendships and meaningful human connection.

Even her interactions with friends such as Patricia and Hideo are colored by her choice to prioritize solitude, a decision born less out of academic discipline and more out of her inability to feel comfortable in this new space.  Similarly, Alba’s story also resonates with isolation, though hers is tied to the confines of her family’s farm and the weight of inherited responsibilities.

She is tethered to the land, not by choice but by circumstance, and her detachment from the farming life represents another form of displacement—a yearning for something beyond what her environment can offer.  The parallel between Minerva’s geographic dislocation and Alba’s emotional detachment emphasizes how alienation can take different forms but still lead to the same struggle for belonging.

Family Duty and Conflict

The novel places significant weight on the way families impose expectations that conflict with individual desires.  Alba’s experiences at Piedras Quebradas showcase this vividly: her brother Tadeo’s determination to preserve the family farm collides with her uncle Arturo’s insistence on selling it, creating rifts that ripple through their relationships.

Alba feels torn between the obligation to stay and help her family survive and her private longing for a more refined, liberated existence away from the burdens of rural life.  Her mother, caught in the middle, illustrates how these conflicts are generational, with loyalty to the past clashing against the lure of modernity.

In Minerva’s story, the familial weight is subtler but present in the form of cultural memory and inherited folklore.  Her great-grandmother’s stories of witches blur into her academic research, making it difficult to separate personal heritage from professional ambition.

Both women’s struggles highlight the cost of family loyalty, showing that devotion to kin often demands a sacrifice of independence.  The tension between personal desire and familial duty forms one of the novel’s most resonant explorations of identity.

The Supernatural and the Weight of History

Witchcraft functions in The Bewitching not just as a supernatural threat but as a reflection of history’s lingering shadows.  Minerva’s thesis on Beatrice Tremblay and her unsettling encounters with symbols, marks, and sinister presences point to the idea that the past never remains buried.

The history of New England’s witchcraft trials and Tremblay’s writings bleed into the present, making Minerva’s academic inquiry more dangerous than intellectual.  Likewise, Alba’s encounters with curses, talismans, and her uncle’s monstrous transformation illustrate how folklore and myth cannot be dismissed as harmless stories; they exert real influence over the lives of those bound to the land.

The presence of witches embodies not just literal menace but the weight of collective memory and ancestral fear.  The recurring sense of being watched, cursed, or marked reveals how the characters cannot escape the grip of history, whether personal, familial, or cultural.

Both Minerva and Alba find themselves caught between skepticism and belief, forced to confront that what they study or dismiss as superstition has tangible and often deadly consequences.

Gender, Power, and Control

Throughout the novel, women navigate spaces shaped by male authority, violence, and manipulation, while also uncovering their own agency.  Minerva experiences academic dismissiveness, male intrusion, and the predatory gaze of students like Conrad Carter, which echo larger patterns of control.

Her determination to complete her thesis and outmaneuver gatekeepers like Carolyn Yates represents an act of resistance against these structures.  Alba’s experience is even more directly tied to patriarchal dominance: Arturo belittles her family’s life on the farm, imposes his will on their decisions, and exerts an uncomfortable attention on Alba herself.

His eventual revelation as a monstrous figure literalizes the dangers of unchecked male power, showing how control and abuse can warp into something terrifying.  Both women’s stories are about survival within environments where power is skewed against them, yet they carve out spaces of defiance, whether through Alba’s final act of violence against Arturo or Minerva’s intellectual persistence.

The theme insists that survival often demands more than endurance; it requires confronting and dismantling the very structures that oppress.

Identity, Knowledge, and Obsession

Minerva’s relentless pursuit of knowledge underscores the theme of obsession and its consequences.  Her research begins as an academic endeavor but grows into something personal, even perilous, as she uncovers connections between Tremblay, witchcraft, and contemporary disappearances.

This pursuit blurs the line between scholarship and fixation, as she risks her safety and mental stability for answers.  In Alba’s case, the question of identity takes a different shape, tied to her place within her family and community.

She wrestles with whether she is destined to remain a caretaker bound to the farm or whether she can forge a self-defined path.  Both narratives show how the search for knowledge or identity can consume a person, pushing them to make choices that isolate them from others or expose them to danger.

Knowledge, whether academic or experiential, is portrayed as powerful but costly, forcing characters to weigh what they are willing to lose in order to claim it.