Their outlooks and ambitions change when a man named Darryl Van Horne moves to town after buying a shuttered mansion. There are rumors that he is a wealthy scientist and inventor. Subtly and with purpose he seduces each of the witches, leading them to strengthen their gifts. Before the women even realize it, they have fallen under the dark spell of this Svengali. Visits of the coven to his mansion become a nightly orgy of sex, drugs, and debauchery. Soon the witches take it upon themselves to cast deadly spells on the women of the town who they feel have gotten in their way. One such victim is survived by her 20-something children Jenny and Christopher. Sukie invites the seemingly innocent children to one of the coven's gatherings at the mansion and before anyone realizes it, Jenny has taken Darryl's attention and royally mucked up their gatherings. The witches then cast a deadly spell on Jenny and we learn that Darryl is not who he led folks to believe he was.
The story is not necessarily a story with a particular agenda or a deep message. It was written during a time when women were struggling to achieve equality with men and, in fact, were beginning to make some marked progress. As such, this novel was notable as the first Updike work so dominated by female characters. The makeup of each of the women was quite well developed, including their humanity, spirit, worries, eccentricities, muses, and, of course, their wicked streaks. The story continues with the 2008 sequel, The Widows of Eastwick, which I will read next.
