TITLE: The Last Witch of Scotland
AUTHOR: Philip Paris
PUBLISHER: Black and White Publishing
ISBN: 978-1785304507
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
North of Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands, is a place called Dornoch. Should you go there, stop for a moment in Littletown. If you know where you look, you can find a relatively small, ordinary looking stone in a private garden. And engraved into the surface of the stone is a date: 1722. It’s lost to time why that date is etched on that particular stone, some five years before the execution that it is commemorating. Nonetheless, this is the memorial that exists for Janet Horne, the last woman in Scotland to be executed for the singular crime of being a witch.
Author, playwright, and journalist Philip Paris has long known this story, as it is one frequently retold in the Highlands. After seeing countless people leave offerings at the stone, and having heard the legends around the Horne family, he decided to record his account. The Last Witch of Scotland (Black & White Publishing, 2023) may be historical fiction, but it is fiction deeply rooted within fact and folklore that still persists to this day.
Paris tells the story from the perspective of Janet Horne’s daughter, Aila. The Horne family is well-known and respected in Inverness where they make a living brewing ale. But their fortunes turn when Aila’s father is killed in a fire, and Aila is left disfigured and disabled in her efforts to save him. Janet and Aila move from the bustling city to escape the bad memories and find some respite. When Janet begins showing signs of dementia, she and Aila become easy targets for the new minister’s zealous paranoia.
Paris shows a deep understanding of the time period and culture that he is writing about. The characters that he portrays are all too human, and even knowing how the story ends for Janet does little to dissuade the reader from hoping for a different outcome. Aila is a deeply vulnerable, ambitious, and tragic protagonist. The traveling troupe who join the Hornes for a time are made up of equally lovable characters, and the way they are treated creates a deeper understanding of how horrible the witchcraft trials were. While it’s cliche to say that you can’t judge a book by its cover, all too often even now people are judged for looking or behaving differently from what’s expected.
The Last Witch of Scotland is a moving read. The lessons it teaches still resonate now, and if the legends are to be believed, I would like to think that the Hornes would appreciate such a compassionate look back at their ancestry. As Scotland begins to face the history of their witchcraft trials more honestly and openly, I hope the rest of the world will begin similarly honoring the wrongfully executed dead and stop such practices that are all too common even now.
AUTHOR: Philip Paris
PUBLISHER: Black and White Publishing
ISBN: 978-1785304507
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
North of Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands, is a place called Dornoch. Should you go there, stop for a moment in Littletown. If you know where you look, you can find a relatively small, ordinary looking stone in a private garden. And engraved into the surface of the stone is a date: 1722. It’s lost to time why that date is etched on that particular stone, some five years before the execution that it is commemorating. Nonetheless, this is the memorial that exists for Janet Horne, the last woman in Scotland to be executed for the singular crime of being a witch.
Author, playwright, and journalist Philip Paris has long known this story, as it is one frequently retold in the Highlands. After seeing countless people leave offerings at the stone, and having heard the legends around the Horne family, he decided to record his account. The Last Witch of Scotland (Black & White Publishing, 2023) may be historical fiction, but it is fiction deeply rooted within fact and folklore that still persists to this day.
Paris tells the story from the perspective of Janet Horne’s daughter, Aila. The Horne family is well-known and respected in Inverness where they make a living brewing ale. But their fortunes turn when Aila’s father is killed in a fire, and Aila is left disfigured and disabled in her efforts to save him. Janet and Aila move from the bustling city to escape the bad memories and find some respite. When Janet begins showing signs of dementia, she and Aila become easy targets for the new minister’s zealous paranoia.
Paris shows a deep understanding of the time period and culture that he is writing about. The characters that he portrays are all too human, and even knowing how the story ends for Janet does little to dissuade the reader from hoping for a different outcome. Aila is a deeply vulnerable, ambitious, and tragic protagonist. The traveling troupe who join the Hornes for a time are made up of equally lovable characters, and the way they are treated creates a deeper understanding of how horrible the witchcraft trials were. While it’s cliche to say that you can’t judge a book by its cover, all too often even now people are judged for looking or behaving differently from what’s expected.
The Last Witch of Scotland is a moving read. The lessons it teaches still resonate now, and if the legends are to be believed, I would like to think that the Hornes would appreciate such a compassionate look back at their ancestry. As Scotland begins to face the history of their witchcraft trials more honestly and openly, I hope the rest of the world will begin similarly honoring the wrongfully executed dead and stop such practices that are all too common even now.