White Is for Witching

Time is key to the novel. How does the rapid movement between past and present narration represent the connection between the Silver women?

The novel emphasizes the struggle to maintain a so-called traditional English identity and the violence that often accompanies this struggle. How does the magical malevolence of the Silver House reflect this real violence?

Pica connects the Silver women across time. Consider the non-food items Anna, Lily, and Miranda eat. How do these items connect them to Dover?

Pica isn’t the only connection between the Silver women. Their imprisonment in the house, at least in spectral form, suggests that trauma also links them. Discuss how the women’s relationships with the house and each other are traumatic.

In spite of the Silver House’s obsession with English purity, the novel connects the house’s activity to other traditions, including juju and the figure of the soucouyant. How do these connections complicate the house’s embrace of a white England?

West African beliefs in juju (the imbuing of items with bad or good energy) are key to the novel, especially with the appearance of Sade. How does juju explain the importance of Luc’s peach tarts, Lily’s watch, and the house’s winter apples?

The novel shows how hostile Dover and the Silver House can be toward those considered foreign. Yet, not all “foreigners” are treated poorly by the Silver women and the house. How does the treatment of Andrew Silver and Luc Dufresne differ from Sade and Ore?

Consider the title of the novel, White Is for Witching. How does this phrase connect to othering at Cambridge University?