The Witching Hour
by Elizabeth Laird

Release Date: 1st May 2009
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 978 0 2307 3679 5
RRP: £12.99

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Religious drama in medieval Scotland...

The Witching Hour is a no-holds-barred account of a young girl, Maggie Blair, during a dark period of religious and political turbulence in Scotland. Orphaned as a child, Maggie is raised by her Granny – a bad-tempered, foul mouthed and unpleasant woman – on the remote island of Bute. Living in a tiny, rambling shack and living almost as though a feral creature; Maggie clings to glimmers of memories of better times before her father died. The austerity of their lives is nothing compared to the sudden conflagration that flares up against them after the death of a young baby. Both Maggie and her Granny are arrested as witches and set to trial, where a cruel and manipulative young serving girl called Annie speaks out against them. Having both been found guilty, they are set to be hung and burnt, but when rescue arrives from the most unlikely of quarters, it is only Maggie who escapes.

Seeking refuge with her distant Uncle Blair, Maggie finds a temporary, if somewhat uneasy reprieve. Her uncle is a staunch Covenanter – someone who does not recognise the authority of the English King or his Bishops. His position is a perilous one and Maggie fears for their safety; a fear that is only exacerbated when a fellow believer and neighbour is unceremoniously arrested and subsequently executed. It is when her own uncle is arrested and taken away, that Maggie’s inherent strength of character must out.

Written with purpose and determination, Laird has a solid writing style that is at once expressive, yet contained. The Witching Hour is not a light-hearted story by any stretch of the imagination, as its protagonist, Maggie, is caught up with religious and political war. Her observations and experiences are ones that would not be wished on any young girl and yet she manages to overcome the difficulties and tribulations forced upon her. The initial witch hunt scenario and subsequent recounting of prisoner conditions is similar to Kathleen Kent’s Heretic’s Daughter, being just as graphic, heart-wrenching and sobering in its detail.

There are plenty of introverted, rhetorical questions and musings about religion, heaven and hell and for some, the almost tireless biblical references and psalms may become a little overbearing, but Laird always maintains a certain equilibrium. The Witching Hour is not exactly pleasant reading, but it is emotive, well written and substantial. It will make you feel grateful for everything you’ve got.

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