by Jenni Fagan
First published 2022
In the bitter cold of a Scottish winter, Iris Owens waits in her cell. Condemned as a witch in 1661, she knows her execution is imminent. The town of Callendar has turned against her—a midwife and herbalist now branded as a supernatural threat. As night falls, Iris confronts her accusers through memory and defiance, unraveling the web of fear and superstition that has sealed her fate. Her only companions are the memories of her healing work and the women she's supported, now silenced by collective hysteria. With dawn approaching, Iris must decide how she will meet her death: as a victim or as a woman who refuses to be erased by ignorance and hatred.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: persecution, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Callendar, Scotland
Period: 1661
Birlinn, Limited
Content warnings: death, violence