Book Review- Ashes and Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness by Allyson Shaw

Ashes and Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness by Allyson Shaw

Published January 1st, 2023 by Sceptre

Print length: 304 pages

Non Fiction. History/Memoir/Creative Non-Fiction.

This is not a book about witches. This is a book about women accused of witchcraft, tortured and murdered in 17th Century Scotland. Ashes and Stones is a journey to find and recognise those women, many lost to history, to speak their names and tell their stories. Shaw acts as a witness and a channel, marking the horror of what happened to these women and speaking out in rage and frustration of the ongoing struggles of women today. Wading through fragmented historical records, distorted mythology and misinformation, Shaw seeks to present these women accused of witchcraft as complex, real people- no different to who we are today.

Ashes and Stones is a unique blend of genre with three threads twining through the book. The first is the recounting of historical events around women accused and murdered for witchcraft in 17th Century Scotland. Secondly, the book follows Shaw’s journey to physically find and pay respects at the memorials built for these women, taking readers on a journey through modern day Scotland. The third thread is one of memoir, as Shaw reflects on her own life in relation to the accused women and the events that surrounded the Scottish witch hunts. At times these three threads are unevenly balanced, leaning more heavily on reflection and memoir. I suspect part of this is due to the sheer lack of information and detail on the women accused of witchcraft, and I share the author’s frustration with this.

The challenge of finding the faces of the women accused of witchcraft is immense. Shaw is critical of the misinformation spread even by authorities and the neglect of the memorial sites. She shows the ugliness of the “dark tourism” trade and the distortions it has brought about, as well as despairing over the way that the stories of these women have become tales of sadistic sexual titillation. She seeks to not only speak the women’s names but also to restore the dignity and agency stripped from them by their imprisonment, torture and execution- and by the legacy that has been created for them by the very men who killed them.

This book is not an easy read. I listened to the audiobook, which was beautifully narrated by Lucy Patterson. While Shaw originally hails from the USA, Patterson reads in a rich Scottish accent. I greatly enjoyed hearing her speak the Scottish names, locations and words, and read sections in Scots. Listening to Ashes and Stones in the evenings, I found my sleep unsettled and disturbed. The vivid writing, the suffering of accused witches laid bare and the true horror of the historical events left me haunted. While not an easy book, I also find this an essential topic, especially for those of us that call ourselves witches. This history is important and Shaw insists that these women be marked and remembered.

Full of raw anger, grief and outrage, Ashes and Stones is a powerful and emotional journey, travelling through the 17th Century, through Shaw’s personal history and through the world we live in now.

For more information:

Author’s website: https://allysonshaw.com/

Publisher’s website: https://www.hodder.co.uk/titles/allyson-shaw/ashes-and-stones/9781529395457/