The Revenge of Hannah Kemhuff Summary

The narrator of this story is an unnamed apprentice to Tante Rosie, from whom she is learning the trade of rootworking. Rootworking is a type of black magic mixed with elements of spirituality and gods. Potions, curses, healings, and prayers are practices of rootworking. The apprentice tells the story of Hannah Kemhuff, an older woman, who has come to Tante Rosie seeking revenge on someone from her past who killed her spirit.

Hannah explains that during the Depression, she was married and had four children by the age of 19. Her husband was not faithful; he continually cheated on her. On account of the Depression, Hannah and her family run out of food and begin to starve. Hannah's husband pleads with her to try to get food stamps from the government. To be eligible for the...