In ‘The Hounding,’ rumors swirl around five sisters living in 18th-century England

Summary

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NPR's Book of the Day: "In ‘The Hounding,’ rumors swirl around five sisters living in 18th-century England"

Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Scott Simon (NPR)
Guest: Xenoby Purvis, author and literary researcher

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Episode Overview

This episode explores Xenoby Purvis’s debut novel, The Hounding—a historical fiction set in 18th-century England. Inspired by a true case of five sisters in Oxfordshire alleged to have been “seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs,” the novel delves into the power of rumor, the dangers of social nonconformity, and enduring questions about the policing of girlhood. Purvis and host Scott Simon discuss the origins of the story, its historical context, and its contemporary resonance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening & Literary Hook

• 00:02–01:30: Host Andrew Limbong introduces the premise: communities often center narratives around mysterious women, and Purvis’s novel is no exception—rumors about the sisters form the core intrigue.
• 01:37: Purvis reads the vivid opening lines of The Hounding:

  “The girls, the infernal heat, a fresh dead body marching up the river path. The villagers, adorned with gaudy ribbons, some carrying stones, saw exactly what had taken place. The girls had found their quarry at last. The bite mark on the man's fist, the spreading blood, the spoke of an unholy struggle.” (Xenoby Purvis, 01:37)

Origins and Historical Inspiration

• 02:13: Purvis explains the novel is rooted in a sparse historical record:

  “I came across the true story of five sisters in 1700 who were said to be, quote, seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs. I wanted to know what had actually happened to the girls and to imagine how their community might have responded to this strange and possibly even dangerous phenomenon in its midst.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 02:19)

• She layered real, sometimes bizarre historical details into the novel, such as:

  • A giant water creature washing up on the Thames (taken from an actual account).
  • The custom of pregnant women serving as pallbearers for those who died in childbirth.

Social Suspicion and the Age of Enlightenment

• 03:36–03:59: Discussion of tension between “enlightened” villagers and deep-seated suspicion or superstition:

  “I was very interested in examining the tussle between the more enlightened views of some of the villagers and the deep, profound hold of suspicion and the older thinking that some of the villagers hold onto.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 03:40)

The Mansfield Sisters and Community Distrust

• 04:11: The protagonist sisters are orphans, living with a blind, widowed grandfather, subject to local suspicion:

  “They go about without a chaperone. They don't care to do what is expected of them... So there is a deep distrust of them that some of the villagers hold.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 04:11)

The Birth and Power of Rumor

• 04:43: The catalyst for social hysteria is a rumor started by ferryman Pete Darling, who claims to see the girls turning into dogs. Purvis notes Pete’s unreliability and the power of his accusations:

  “We know that he has lied before. He also makes claims that he has been visited by angels and that his actions are kind of divinely authorized. But his words take hold in the village, as rumors and misinformation sometimes do. And the girls feel the cost of that.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 04:43)

Gender, Punishment, and Contemporary Resonance

• 05:18: A powerful line from Anne, the eldest sister, reveals the novel’s core question:

  “All of this is our punishment. It has nothing to do with the idea of us becoming dogs and everything to do with the fact of us being girls.”
  (Scott Simon quoting from the novel, 05:18)

  Purvis explains:

  “The question of girlhood and the place of girls in society... I was repeatedly struck in writing the book by the disturbing contemporary relevance of many of the themes that it raises. The safety of girls and the policing of their bodies, toxic masculinity, resistance to nonconformity—these are concerns that we continue to contend with and that make their way into new stories every day.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 05:34)

The Nature of Gossip

• 06:11: On the double-edged nature of rumor and why people spread them:

  “It feels to me like a kind of delicious contagion that people can't resist. And as you say, the gossiper wants a sort of exchange for what they give—reaction. It's fascinating to me and preoccupied me while writing the book.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 06:26)

Historical Outcomes and Artistic Decisions

• 07:03: Purvis shares the limits of her historical research:

  “Beyond the letter written by the doctor who treated the girls, I wasn't able to find out what became of them... I did manage to find in records from their village some years later, records of a family of five sisters, all still living, many of whom were married. I can't tell if these are the same sisters, but I like to think that they are. And in fact, I borrowed their Christian names for my characters.”
  (Xenoby Purvis, 07:03)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the role of rumor:

  “‘The gossiper not only gave but took. Something was required by the listener.’”
  (Scott Simon quoting from the novel, 06:11)

• On their place as women:

  “All of this is our punishment. It has nothing to do with the idea of us becoming dogs and everything to do with the fact of us being girls.”
  (Anne, character—cited by Scott Simon, 05:18)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:02–01:30 — Introduction and thematic setup
• 01:37 — Purvis reads the novel’s opening lines
• 02:13–03:36 — Origins and research behind the story
• 03:36–03:59 — Context: Age of Enlightenment vs. suspicion
• 04:11–04:33 — The sisters’ unconventional behavior and the town’s suspicion
• 04:43–05:18 — The village rumor and its consequences
• 05:18–06:11 — Gendered punishment and contemporary themes
• 06:11–06:52 — The psychology and exchange of gossip
• 07:03–07:41 — Research gaps and artistic liberties

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Episode Takeaways

The Hounding blends meticulous historical research with imaginative fiction to examine how rumor, gender, and social tension intersect, drawing clear parallels to issues still present today. Purvis’s conversation offers both literary insight and broader societal reflections, making the episode a compelling listen for anyone interested in how past and present intertwine in the stories we tell.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. It occurred to me while listening to today's interview that a pretty common premise for a book is a community, be it a town or a school, asking so what's the deal with these women? In Xenob Purvis's new novel the Hounding, the women are a group of sisters in 1700s England whom the town suspects of. Well, I'll let them get into it, just know it's a weird bit of gossip. And in this interview with NPR's Scott Simon, Purvis talks about how gossip isn't free, how the gossiper is always asking for something in return.

[B]

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[D]

Get drawn into a book from the very first words? Here's Enneby Purvis reading the opening of her novel the Hounding.

[E]

The girls, the infernal heat, a fresh dead body marching up the river path. The villagers, adorned with gaudy ribbons, some carrying stones, saw exactly what had taken place. The girls had found their quarry at last. The bite mark on the man's fist, the spreading blood, the spoke of an unholy struggle.

[D]

The Hounding is one of the most anticipated books of the summer and is the debut novel from Zenaby Purvis, a writer and literary researcher who joins us from the BBC in London. Thank you so much for being with us.

[E]

Thank you so much for having me.

[D]

I gather your novel grows from a nugget of five sisters in Oxfordshire, England in 1700.

[E]

Yes, exactly. I came across the true story of five sisters in 1700 who were said to be, quote, seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs. I wanted to know what had actually happened to the girls and to imagine how their community might have responded to this strange and possibly even dangerous phenomenon in its midst. Beyond a letter written by the doctor who treated the sisters, I could find little information about the case. My story is an imaginative response to to the situation. And I tried to weave in true details from the time period that felt stranger than fiction. For example, at the start of the book, a giant water creature washes up on the banks of the Thames. A scenario taken from a true account. I also describe how pregnant women are forced to be pallbearers for someone who has died in childbirth, a custom said to have been practiced in England at that time. The book is full of similarly odd and sometimes disturbing real historical details.

[D]

During what was called the Age of Enlightenment, we must say.

[E]

Exactly. And I was very interested in examining the tussle between the more enlightened views of some of the villagers and the deep, profound hold of suspicion and the older thinking that some of the villagers hold onto.

[D]

Tell us, please, about the Mansfield sisters. They are left on a farm with their recently widowed grandfather who was blind. Much of the town doesn't seem to have much sympathy for them, do they?

[E]

I think the Mansfield sisters, because they behave in sort of idiosyncratic ways. They go about without a chaperone. They don't care to do what is expected of them. So socially. So there is a deep distrust of them that some of the villagers hold.

[D]

The weather has been bad for crops. The wells are running shallow. And then a town ferryman, Pete Darling, a good Christian man, starts a rumor. What happens?

[E]

Yes, he claims to see these girls turning into dogs. The reader is left to discern the truth of what Pete is saying. We know that he has lied before. He also makes claims that he has been visited by angels and that his actions are kind of divinely authorized. But his words take hold in the village, as rumors and misinformation sometimes do. And the girls feel the cost of that.

[D]

I found it heart piercing when Anne, who I believe is the oldest, exclaims at one point, all of this is our punishment. It has nothing to do with the idea of us becoming dogs and everything to do with the fact of us being girls.

[E]

Yes, I mean the question of girlhood and the place of girls in society. That started the whole thing off for me. And then I was repeatedly struck in writing the book by the disturbing contemporary relevance of many of the themes that it raises. The safety of girls and the policing of their bodies, toxic masculinity, resistance to non conformity. These are concerns that we continue to contend with and that make their way into new stories every day.

[D]

I made note of one of your lines. When a character observes, the gossiper not only gave but took. Something was required by the listener. Does this suggest something we should all pay attention to now.

[E]

I mean, this was something I observed while I was digging into the idea of rumor spreading, which is a central theme in the novel. It feels to me like a kind of delicious contagion that people can't resist. And as you say, the gossiper wants a sort of exchange for what they give reaction. It's fascinating to me and preoccupied me while writing the book.

[D]

Certainly, I know this is the dugget that grew into your novel. But as a historical researcher, do you know what happened to the five sisters whose stories you encountered?

[E]

I'm afraid that beyond the letter written by the doctor who treated the girls, I wasn't able to find out what became of them. The doctor diagnosed them with a kind of, I suppose what we would call today hysteria. I did manage to find in records from their village some years later, records of a family of five sisters, all still living, many of whom were married. I can't tell if these are the same sisters, but I like to think that they are. And in fact, I borrowed their Christian names for my characters.

[D]

So that's how you came up with Elizabeth, Grace, Mary Hester, ANN yes, exactly. Zenaby Purvis. Her debut novel, the Hounding. Thanks so much for being with us.

[E]

Thank you so much for having me.

[C]

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