Hex by Jenni Fagan

Hex by Jenni Fagan was first published in 2022 by Polygon.

Hex was inspired by the 16th century North Berwick witch trials. It was a time when King James VI became obsessed with witchcraft and it was the women of Scotland that paid the price, any female who was just a wee bit different, spurned advances from men,  had an interest in herbalism and healing, or had something that a man wanted – maybe money or land – was in danger of being targetted and accused of being a witch. The book is dedicated to Geillis Duncan.

Iris, a 21st century woman is trying to contact Geillis via a seance. Iris wants to contact Geillis to comfort her in her last night on earth, in the cold filthy cell which is three levels below the High Street  (Royal Mile) in Edinburgh.  Geillis is due to be hanged on the 4th of December 1591 and Iris does manage to contact her.  Geillis tells Iris about the torture she had had to endure, which led to her confession of witchcraft and to her implicating others,  all innocent of course, just to get them to stop the pain and humiliation.

Iris is furious at the way 21st century women are being treated, and she tells Geillis about it.  In many ways there have been no improvements in the way men behave towards women and she rages at the daily attacks on females by men. “Sharp tongues get women killed.”

The Scotsman describes this book as being ‘Elegant and angry in equal measure.’

This was a great read, there were just a couple of things that annoyed me. There is no way that a 15 year old girl (Geillis) would use the word okay in 1591, and she wouldn’t know the word ‘teenage’ either.

It’s a very quick read at just 101 pages.

 

 

 

Library books

I thought I’d mention the books that I’ve borrowed from the library – so here goes.

 

I had a look at the online catalogue to request the next book in Val McDermid’s Karen Pirie series, but my attention was caught by her book titled My Scotland so I picked it up recently and have just started to read it, I think I’ll really enjoy it and it has lovely phoptographs by Alan McCredie.

The Inn at the Edge of the World Book Cover

 

I also borrowed The Inn at the Edge of the World by Alice Thomas Ellis. I know it was a blogger who recommended this one, but have no idea who. The setting is a remote Hebridean island.

 

 

 

Next is Hex by Jenni Fagan. It’s a retelling of the North Berwick witch trials.

 

 

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. I don’t think I’ve read anything by her but I have watched some of the Shetland series on TV.

 

 

 

Lastly I requested The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley which is historical fiction. The setting is Scotland and England in 1613

 

So it seems that all the books I have from the library at the moment have Scottish settings.  January has been a very Scottish month, I must broaden my horizons!

Feel free to tell me what you have borrowed from your local library recently.

Guardian Review links

It’s ages since I wrote about some Guardian Review articles that I think might be of interest to people, so here goes!

Last week’s Review had an article in it about Patricia Highsmith, it sounds like she was a very strange character herself. You can read it here. The world’s champion ball-bouncer is a short story by her which has been unseen for 73 years.

There’s a new Dostoevsky out – Dostoevsky in Love by Alex Christofi, it looks like it might be an interesting read.

I will definitely be trying to get my hands on Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan. It’s a novel which is set across nine decades in an Edinburgh tenement.

If SF and Fantasy are your thing then have a look at Eric Brown’s column here.