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IT'S THE 4TH OF DECEMBER 1591.
On this, the last night of her life, in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh's High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor - Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe.
As the hours pass and dawn approaches, Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture, confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace - and the tantalising prospect of escape.
Hex is a visceral depiction of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition, exploring how the terrible force of a king's violent crusade against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present day.
On this, the last night of her life, in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh's High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor - Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe.
As the hours pass and dawn approaches, Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture, confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace - and the tantalising prospect of escape.
Hex is a visceral depiction of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition, exploring how the terrible force of a king's violent crusade against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present day.
104 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2022
About the author
Jenni Fagan
30 books595 followersJenni Fagan has published four fiction novels, one non-fiction memoir, seven books of poetry and had scripts produced for stage and screen. She has three degrees, concluding as Dr. Of Philosophy, specialising in structuralism.
Jenni is an award winning, critically acclaimed poet and novelist. She is published in eight languages. A Granta Best of Young British Novelist (once-in-a-decade-accolade), Scottish Novelist of the Year (2016), Pushchart nominated, on lists for BBC International Short Story Prize, Impac Dublin, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Encore, among others. The New York Times called her The Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.
Fagan is also an artist who exhibits canvas and sculptures, her bone artworks are on permanent display at Summerhall, where she kintsugi’d the building with poems in gold.
Jenni has written articles for the Independent, NY Times, Marie Claire. She has held Writer in Residence positions at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Louise Stevenson Fellowship and Gavin Wallace.
She has worked extensively with women in prison, and those from deprived backgrounds.
She is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh for tv, also The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Hex.
Jenni is an award winning, critically acclaimed poet and novelist. She is published in eight languages. A Granta Best of Young British Novelist (once-in-a-decade-accolade), Scottish Novelist of the Year (2016), Pushchart nominated, on lists for BBC International Short Story Prize, Impac Dublin, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Encore, among others. The New York Times called her The Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.
Fagan is also an artist who exhibits canvas and sculptures, her bone artworks are on permanent display at Summerhall, where she kintsugi’d the building with poems in gold.
Jenni has written articles for the Independent, NY Times, Marie Claire. She has held Writer in Residence positions at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Louise Stevenson Fellowship and Gavin Wallace.
She has worked extensively with women in prison, and those from deprived backgrounds.
She is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh for tv, also The Panopticon, Luckenbooth and Hex.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 804 reviews
March 17, 2022
Rated 4.5/5 stars
Ooft this lil book is so profoundly sad, I’ve left it with a genuine weight in my heart. Telling the story of two witches connected over time, you witness the death of Geillis Duncan and rule against the injustices the down centuries. At only 100 pages, this packs a punch and isn’t one to be easily forgotten.
Ooft this lil book is so profoundly sad, I’ve left it with a genuine weight in my heart. Telling the story of two witches connected over time, you witness the death of Geillis Duncan and rule against the injustices the down centuries. At only 100 pages, this packs a punch and isn’t one to be easily forgotten.
April 2, 2022
3.75 stars. Although short, this book really packs a punch and I think the fact it is so short is what intensifies the story the author is trying too tell. I really enjoyed this story and was so moved by it I felt a literal ache in my chest. I don’t think it’s a story I will ever forget. Not only do I feel deep sadness, but I also feel an unstated rage at the injustices women in the past and present suffer because of the actions of men .This is a book that follows two witches across time, Geillis and Iris set in a prison sell below the floors of Edinburgh in 1591. Inspired by the North Berwick witch trials, the author masterfully demonstrates how the injustices women faced at the hands of men are still occurring today but in a different form, by telling us Geillis’ story. The contrast between the past and present is so clear in this book; the parallels were simply incredible to read and had such an impact. This is a book that perfectly demonstrates how generations of women still have so much to change in the world and everything in common centuries apart.
February 6, 2023
Got this book during my last hours in Edinburgh, after having it recommended by Jack Edwards himself, IN THE FLESH. It's a short but impactful read, a powerful retelling written in a poetic way. It carries a very powerful feminist message throughout, and it was a great way to learn about this part of Edinburgh's history.
May 15, 2022
where do I even start with this? I'm utterly heartbroken, enraged and completely bawling at this novella.
inspired by the north berwick witch trials we follow geillis duncan on the night before her execution, where she receives a strange visitor named iris. first and foremost, jenni fagan's writing was undoubtedly beautiful and led me to tears multiple times. the book being incredibly short too, allows so much rage, strength and sisterhood to be evoked perfectly. discussions of 16th century patriarchy and how inherently sexist such a society was, was incredibly fascinating and so much that jenni fagan highlighted throughout the novella, can unfortunately still be recognised in todays day and age. there is so much to be said not only about this particular story, but about all of the women and children who suffered such extreme notions of torture and death at the hands of men and their fearfulness for witches and powerful women. this was such a difficult read, but one that is so important. hex is a book that will stay with me forever, just like geillis duncan's story.
trigger warnings - rape, self harm, torture
inspired by the north berwick witch trials we follow geillis duncan on the night before her execution, where she receives a strange visitor named iris. first and foremost, jenni fagan's writing was undoubtedly beautiful and led me to tears multiple times. the book being incredibly short too, allows so much rage, strength and sisterhood to be evoked perfectly. discussions of 16th century patriarchy and how inherently sexist such a society was, was incredibly fascinating and so much that jenni fagan highlighted throughout the novella, can unfortunately still be recognised in todays day and age. there is so much to be said not only about this particular story, but about all of the women and children who suffered such extreme notions of torture and death at the hands of men and their fearfulness for witches and powerful women. this was such a difficult read, but one that is so important. hex is a book that will stay with me forever, just like geillis duncan's story.
trigger warnings - rape, self harm, torture
March 11, 2023
8.57 on CAWPILE
December 21, 2022
thank you to my gr secret santa for this book before it's even out in my country! ♥
but will it bring me back from my reviewing slump?
but will it bring me back from my reviewing slump?
July 9, 2022
This book is based on a really interesting concept - of historic Scottish tales retold or readdressed - and a female focused story that I thought would grip me. But I found the storytelling very jarring. From Iris' first appearance in the cell her dialogue felt performative, reactionary, hyperbolic. More like a spoken word poem, or a protest speech than a novella, or even a play. As I finished, I noticed the author's bio leads with... is a poet and writer. So this makes sense. Innovative concept, but not for me.
February 27, 2022
Stunning book. Read this in one sitting on a Sunday morning. It's 100 pages make such an impact. Sublime writing.
April 23, 2023
We all know the witch trials and subsequent burnings or hangings were unjust and absurd because we know that witches and witchcraft in the mystical sense do not exist. It seems an odd choice then for the author to present this look at the last woman hanged for being a witch from the point of view of an actual witch and a seance - thereby establishing some sense of guilt where there wasn't any to begin with. An odd choice. Much of the short book is a feminist outcry about the treatment of women by men, which is of course, perfectly justified and true, but I would have liked to have learned more of the historical context around witch trials in Scotland and so on. Some passages do soar, and I'm sure it will be to the taste of others more than it was for me.
July 29, 2023
Underwhelming. I need to accept that witch stories aren't for me. Especially with this kind of artsy fartsy writing style. You can tell the author is a poet by the endless waffling on and use of similes.
I'm sure there's a decent message about feminism and fighting the patriarchy in here somewhere but I couldn't get past my personal distaste for the writing.
I'm sure there's a decent message about feminism and fighting the patriarchy in here somewhere but I couldn't get past my personal distaste for the writing.
July 15, 2022
‘King James didn’t start this particular witch-hunt, but he will certainly finish it. How does he fight the Devil?
Well, now you ask!
Via teenage girls!
Doesn’t everyone?’
Well, now you ask!
Via teenage girls!
Doesn’t everyone?’
June 1, 2022
This book wasn’t really for me. I was expecting more of a story but it seems it was more written to make a point about perceptions of women in society. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it took away the enjoyment for me.
March 28, 2023
Tenía potencial para dar más de sí. Intenta usar una historia de viajes en el tiempo y presuntas brujas para lanzar un mensaje feminista, pero le falta fuerza. Y no solo eso, ya que tampoco está bien trabajado el vínculo entre las protagonistas.
En 1591, la protagonista es Geillis Duncan. Una joven que pasa sus últimas horas de vida en una celda a la espera de que se produzca su ejecución. Fue brutalmente torturada y sus atacantes decidieron acusarla de brujería. Desde 2021, Iris llega hasta ella para hacerle compañía y para darle su apoyo antes de que acaben con su vida.
Ni se transmite lo extraordinario que es su encuentro ni se específica claramente cómo es posible que algo tan increíble haya ocurrido. Iris es simplemente una excusa para que Geillis pueda darnos su testimonio. Hay datos que se repiten, desapego emocional en la narración y falta de profundidad en los personajes. En más de una ocasión, me dio la sensación de que la autora daba por hecho que teníamos que saber ciertos detalles de antemano. La familia de Geillis apenas es mencionada y el papel de sus agresores es difuso. Queda claro cómo fue el ataque que sufrió, el cual es totalmente injustificable, pero se da a entender que fue algo que se gestó con anterioridad a raíz de una serie de sucesos. Me hubiera gustado saber mejor el trasfondo de lo que sucedió y cómo esos malnacidos consiguieron que nadie condenara sus actos.
Iris es una mera espectadora, no me aportó nada y considero que hubiera dado igual si se hubiera omitido su presencia. En teoría, su objetivo es que, con pequeñas frases, deje caer que en el año 2021 el machismo seguía vigente. Lo malo es que no conocemos sus circunstancias ni cómo es exactamente su situación personal, por lo que es complicado comprender el hartazgo y desilusión que transmite.
El mensaje feminista es... ¿extraño? Puede que esa no sea exactamente el adjetivo a emplear, pero es que no queda claro. Supongo que se quiere decir que los hombres siguen saliéndose con la suya cuando cometen determinados delitos, pero no veo comparable lo que ocurría hace 500 años y lo que pasa en la actualidad (dependiendo del país, ya que no ignoro que en muchos lugares se siguen atropellando los derechos de las mujeres y de otros colectivos). Y los motivos que se dan para odiar a las mujeres... muy místico todo, no conecto con el hecho de darle un tono tan poético a un tema así.
Es una obra breve, pues supera por poco las 100 páginas, pero no se devora. Y el final también
es de libre interpretación en ciertos aspectos.
Puede que sencillamente no sea el tipo de lectura que a mí me fascina. No me convenció la forma de mezclar magia y realidad, pero puede que otras personas consigan entender mejor su propósito.
En 1591, la protagonista es Geillis Duncan. Una joven que pasa sus últimas horas de vida en una celda a la espera de que se produzca su ejecución. Fue brutalmente torturada y sus atacantes decidieron acusarla de brujería. Desde 2021, Iris llega hasta ella para hacerle compañía y para darle su apoyo antes de que acaben con su vida.
Ni se transmite lo extraordinario que es su encuentro ni se específica claramente cómo es posible que algo tan increíble haya ocurrido. Iris es simplemente una excusa para que Geillis pueda darnos su testimonio. Hay datos que se repiten, desapego emocional en la narración y falta de profundidad en los personajes. En más de una ocasión, me dio la sensación de que la autora daba por hecho que teníamos que saber ciertos detalles de antemano. La familia de Geillis apenas es mencionada y el papel de sus agresores es difuso. Queda claro cómo fue el ataque que sufrió, el cual es totalmente injustificable, pero se da a entender que fue algo que se gestó con anterioridad a raíz de una serie de sucesos. Me hubiera gustado saber mejor el trasfondo de lo que sucedió y cómo esos malnacidos consiguieron que nadie condenara sus actos.
Iris es una mera espectadora, no me aportó nada y considero que hubiera dado igual si se hubiera omitido su presencia. En teoría, su objetivo es que, con pequeñas frases, deje caer que en el año 2021 el machismo seguía vigente. Lo malo es que no conocemos sus circunstancias ni cómo es exactamente su situación personal, por lo que es complicado comprender el hartazgo y desilusión que transmite.
El mensaje feminista es... ¿extraño? Puede que esa no sea exactamente el adjetivo a emplear, pero es que no queda claro. Supongo que se quiere decir que los hombres siguen saliéndose con la suya cuando cometen determinados delitos, pero no veo comparable lo que ocurría hace 500 años y lo que pasa en la actualidad (dependiendo del país, ya que no ignoro que en muchos lugares se siguen atropellando los derechos de las mujeres y de otros colectivos). Y los motivos que se dan para odiar a las mujeres... muy místico todo, no conecto con el hecho de darle un tono tan poético a un tema así.
Es una obra breve, pues supera por poco las 100 páginas, pero no se devora. Y el final también
es de libre interpretación en ciertos aspectos.
Puede que sencillamente no sea el tipo de lectura que a mí me fascina. No me convenció la forma de mezclar magia y realidad, pero puede que otras personas consigan entender mejor su propósito.
October 6, 2022
Those of you who are familiar with the Outlander series will know who Geillis Duncan is, and this is her story, or at least the 24 hours before her hanging in 1591. She is visited and comforted by Iris, Spirit/Angel/Supernatural being who begins her lament on the treatment of women then and now. She has some very poignant observations of the treatment women receive at the hands on men.
I believe it is somewhat of a cautionary tale.
I believe it is somewhat of a cautionary tale.
June 20, 2023
Another fascinating look at Scottish history. Can’t wait for the third book!
July 19, 2023
"Guardar silencio es ser cómplice. No actuar es una forma de aprobación. No seré pasiva."
Esta corta historia nos remonta desde los momentos previos a la ejecución de Geillis Duncan, hasta su muerte. Históricamente conocida por ser una joven acusada de brujería en Escocia, tras horribles torturas que la obligaron a confesar y señalar a otras personas que también fueron procesadas de estos cargos.
Está es una historia desgarradora, triste y lamentablemente real que la autora toma, aborda y en base a ella crea un acontecimiento ficticio dónde dos "brujas" se conectan, una es Duncan, en su celda, y la otra es un Iris del siglo XXI que la acompaña en sus últimos momentos de una forma muy particular.
La autora a través de este encuentro es que nos va relatando lo que le sucedió a Geillis, las injusticias que tuvo que pasar por la ignorancia, odio, arrogancia y poder de unos pocos. En la que Iris se transforma en el oído, apoyo y contención de los últimos momentos de Geillis.
Me gusta cuando se abordan hechos reales y se les da un toque fantástico, pero creo que quizás quedó un tanto corto. Aunque de igual manera, la pluma de la autora describe de forma tan potente todo, que no deja indiferente, aunque si me faltó más ambientación y atmósfera.
Un homenaje que me aparecido perfecto para leer entre lecturas y que permite dar a conocer a una de las muchas víctimas que dejó la horrible caza de brujas.
Esta corta historia nos remonta desde los momentos previos a la ejecución de Geillis Duncan, hasta su muerte. Históricamente conocida por ser una joven acusada de brujería en Escocia, tras horribles torturas que la obligaron a confesar y señalar a otras personas que también fueron procesadas de estos cargos.
Está es una historia desgarradora, triste y lamentablemente real que la autora toma, aborda y en base a ella crea un acontecimiento ficticio dónde dos "brujas" se conectan, una es Duncan, en su celda, y la otra es un Iris del siglo XXI que la acompaña en sus últimos momentos de una forma muy particular.
La autora a través de este encuentro es que nos va relatando lo que le sucedió a Geillis, las injusticias que tuvo que pasar por la ignorancia, odio, arrogancia y poder de unos pocos. En la que Iris se transforma en el oído, apoyo y contención de los últimos momentos de Geillis.
Me gusta cuando se abordan hechos reales y se les da un toque fantástico, pero creo que quizás quedó un tanto corto. Aunque de igual manera, la pluma de la autora describe de forma tan potente todo, que no deja indiferente, aunque si me faltó más ambientación y atmósfera.
Un homenaje que me aparecido perfecto para leer entre lecturas y que permite dar a conocer a una de las muchas víctimas que dejó la horrible caza de brujas.
February 5, 2023
Geillis, una joven de 15 años, pasa su última noche en una celda a la espera de que la ahorquen por brujería en la Escocia del rey Jacobo. Iris, una joven de la época actual, la acompañará en sus últimas horas en forma de espíritu mediante una sesión de espiritismo.
Contada en presente y en primera persona se centra en hablar sobre las injusticias que vivimos las mujeres, tanto en la época de Geillis como en la de Iris, especialmente en cuanto a los roles que se nos ha obligado a asumir a lo largo de la historia, a las consecuencias que tiene salirse de ellos y al abuso por parte de los hombres.
Aunque todo lo relacionado con brujas me llama la atención y los temas de los que se habla son esenciales y muy necesarios no he conectado mucho con la historia.
Los diálogos se me hacían poco naturales en algunas partes, se me han hecho artificiales. También se han querido meter muchas situaciones a modo de ejemplo en alguno de los discursos de Iris que hacen que sientas que la historia no es más que una excusa y queda un poco forzado. No me ha gustado mucho el estilo, pero si esto son cosas que a ti no te importan te animo a leer el libro.
Estilo Ritos funerarios, Alias Grace… pero mucho más corto, no llega a 200 páginas.
(2,5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ La idea es buena, me falla un poco cómo se lleva a cabo.
Contada en presente y en primera persona se centra en hablar sobre las injusticias que vivimos las mujeres, tanto en la época de Geillis como en la de Iris, especialmente en cuanto a los roles que se nos ha obligado a asumir a lo largo de la historia, a las consecuencias que tiene salirse de ellos y al abuso por parte de los hombres.
Aunque todo lo relacionado con brujas me llama la atención y los temas de los que se habla son esenciales y muy necesarios no he conectado mucho con la historia.
Los diálogos se me hacían poco naturales en algunas partes, se me han hecho artificiales. También se han querido meter muchas situaciones a modo de ejemplo en alguno de los discursos de Iris que hacen que sientas que la historia no es más que una excusa y queda un poco forzado. No me ha gustado mucho el estilo, pero si esto son cosas que a ti no te importan te animo a leer el libro.
Estilo Ritos funerarios, Alias Grace… pero mucho más corto, no llega a 200 páginas.
(2,5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ La idea es buena, me falla un poco cómo se lleva a cabo.
March 3, 2022
Full review here: my link text
Hex is a short book that casts us back to Scotland, 1591 – more specifically, a prison cell floors below Edinburgh High Street. We meet Geillis Duncan, a young maidservant from Tranent who has been convicted of witchcraft in the infamous North Berwick witch trials. Iris is a kindred soul from current day, determined to reach Geillis through the ether and provide comfort as her fate draws closer. Centuries apart, they discover that their generation of women have more in common than they do not.
I was instantly won over by Fagan’s writing when I read The Panopticon, and this was only fur...
To read full review, follow the link: my link text
Hex is a short book that casts us back to Scotland, 1591 – more specifically, a prison cell floors below Edinburgh High Street. We meet Geillis Duncan, a young maidservant from Tranent who has been convicted of witchcraft in the infamous North Berwick witch trials. Iris is a kindred soul from current day, determined to reach Geillis through the ether and provide comfort as her fate draws closer. Centuries apart, they discover that their generation of women have more in common than they do not.
I was instantly won over by Fagan’s writing when I read The Panopticon, and this was only fur...
To read full review, follow the link: my link text
February 18, 2022
This novella is so moving in its entirety. Its bearing Witness to the death of Geilles Duncan who was hanged as a witch at the tender age of 15 in 1591 and also to all other women who were and still are being persecuted just for being a women. It's brutal and horrible but extremely touching as well.
Read
February 5, 2023Una novela corta que va al grano desde la página 1. No es nada sutil en ese aspecto, el enfado de la autora es palpable en todo momento, y entiendo que a algunos lectores les pueda chirriar. A pesar de ser una narración que no vaya a agradar a todo el mundo debido a su falta de sutileza, a mí me ha gustado.
February 18, 2024
"I say I am a witch, but it is not really what I believe. We are just women with power and skills and an innate knowledge. That's what makes us scary."
February 10, 2023
Heel heel goed ! Super krachtige zinnen…
September 29, 2023
Favourite author alert! Another great (short) story with witches and huge miscarriages of justice.
January 9, 2024
3,5⭐️ goed maar vond het af en toe een te grote rant aan het worden
August 20, 2022
Jenni Fagan is an author whose work I have enjoyed so much up until now that I no longer read the blurbs of her novels; rather, I just sink into the unknown, feeling sure that I will like what I find. Of course, the title of her newest novella, Hex, does bring with it a lot of punchy imagery, and it is surely not difficult to guess some of the themes which might be found within its pages.
Hex is Fagan’s shortest book by far, coming in at just over one hundred pages. It was published as part of a Polygon series entitled ‘Darkland Tales’, which aims to bring together ‘dramatic retellings of stories’ from Scotland’s history. This is the second book in the series; the first and third have been written by Denise Mina and Alan Warner, respectively.
Set on the 4th of December 1591, Hex weaves together a present day protagonist with a woman accused of witchcraft in Edinburgh. Geillis Duncan, a teenager from Trenant, Scotland, has been locked into a prison cell far below the city’s High Street, and is facing the final night of her life. However, this is not just a work of historical fiction, or an imagined narrative of real historical events. Fagan introduces, in the form of the novella’s narrator, a modern-day character named Iris from the summer of 2021, who tells Geillis that she ‘comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe.’ Conducting a conversation across the centuries is a clever tool. Fagan reveals that in the vast swath of time which separates Geillis and Iris, not much has fundamentally changed. Fagan offers a simple yet very effective way in which to explore how and why women are still discriminated against almost 450 years later. Numerous parallels are drawn between the characters.
Iris essentially takes on the role of Geillis’ familiar, and directs much of her narrative is toward Geillis. The second chapter begins: ‘Your cell is several floors below the city. It is, far below footfall, or taverns, or flats; below beds, or kitchens, or hugs, or hope, or church, or prayer, or freedom, or laughter, or air; below shuttered windows, or dogs asleep in front of fires. It is so far below the seasons they might as well not exist.’ She goes on to comment: ‘Travelled time all my life’, and then: ‘Five hundred years between us, Geillis Duncan – it’s such a little leap really.’ Iris continues: ‘A woman’s voice is a hex. She must learn to exalt men always. If she doesn’t do that, then she is a threat. A demon whore, a witch – so says everyone and the law.’
When she first meets Geillis, Iris observes: ‘Head turned away, eyes toward me – the outline of your nose and forehead and chin is marked in moonlight; you look like a silver face on a ten-pence coin.’ Such sensual descriptions make Geillis almost tangible to the reader. Iris, otherworldly as she is, then begins to magick things up to help her new companion: a blanket, a meal.
We then transition from Iris’ perspective to Geillis’. As the time approaches dawn, Geillis tells Iris about how she came to be imprisoned, and offers a ‘visceral description of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition.’ When she is tortured in her own home, before being thrown into her dingy prison cell, Geillis describes the following: ‘They turned me over, Iris… everything inside my body felt like it was burning, like I was on fire, like I was already in hell and they were the demons surrounding me, and it is for their crimes I will die!’ When asked why she was persecuted, Geillis responds: ‘I helped women birth… I knew how to pick the right herbs to cure a headache, and I had a terrible want in me to go out at night and see the stars.’
I found Hex to be entirely absorbing. Fagan manages to pack such a lot in, from death and murder, to race and expectations. There is a real brutality to this story, as one might surely expect. I liked the juxtaposition of both narrators, with Geillis’ sometimes old-fashioned turns of phrase, and the very current events given to authenticate Iris’ point of view: ‘If only she didn’t wear stilettos. If only she didn’t walk through a park. If only she didn’t go out at night. If only those smart, brilliant sisters had realised police officers would later take selfies by their dead bodies.’
Something which I admire about Fagan is the way in which her stories are not straightforward. Even in a work as short as this one, she is such a creative author, managing to insert quite original elements, and making for a very memorable reading experience. Another, quite moving, touch is that Fagan chose to dedicate Hex to the real Geillis Duncan.
Hex is Fagan’s shortest book by far, coming in at just over one hundred pages. It was published as part of a Polygon series entitled ‘Darkland Tales’, which aims to bring together ‘dramatic retellings of stories’ from Scotland’s history. This is the second book in the series; the first and third have been written by Denise Mina and Alan Warner, respectively.
Set on the 4th of December 1591, Hex weaves together a present day protagonist with a woman accused of witchcraft in Edinburgh. Geillis Duncan, a teenager from Trenant, Scotland, has been locked into a prison cell far below the city’s High Street, and is facing the final night of her life. However, this is not just a work of historical fiction, or an imagined narrative of real historical events. Fagan introduces, in the form of the novella’s narrator, a modern-day character named Iris from the summer of 2021, who tells Geillis that she ‘comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe.’ Conducting a conversation across the centuries is a clever tool. Fagan reveals that in the vast swath of time which separates Geillis and Iris, not much has fundamentally changed. Fagan offers a simple yet very effective way in which to explore how and why women are still discriminated against almost 450 years later. Numerous parallels are drawn between the characters.
Iris essentially takes on the role of Geillis’ familiar, and directs much of her narrative is toward Geillis. The second chapter begins: ‘Your cell is several floors below the city. It is, far below footfall, or taverns, or flats; below beds, or kitchens, or hugs, or hope, or church, or prayer, or freedom, or laughter, or air; below shuttered windows, or dogs asleep in front of fires. It is so far below the seasons they might as well not exist.’ She goes on to comment: ‘Travelled time all my life’, and then: ‘Five hundred years between us, Geillis Duncan – it’s such a little leap really.’ Iris continues: ‘A woman’s voice is a hex. She must learn to exalt men always. If she doesn’t do that, then she is a threat. A demon whore, a witch – so says everyone and the law.’
When she first meets Geillis, Iris observes: ‘Head turned away, eyes toward me – the outline of your nose and forehead and chin is marked in moonlight; you look like a silver face on a ten-pence coin.’ Such sensual descriptions make Geillis almost tangible to the reader. Iris, otherworldly as she is, then begins to magick things up to help her new companion: a blanket, a meal.
We then transition from Iris’ perspective to Geillis’. As the time approaches dawn, Geillis tells Iris about how she came to be imprisoned, and offers a ‘visceral description of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition.’ When she is tortured in her own home, before being thrown into her dingy prison cell, Geillis describes the following: ‘They turned me over, Iris… everything inside my body felt like it was burning, like I was on fire, like I was already in hell and they were the demons surrounding me, and it is for their crimes I will die!’ When asked why she was persecuted, Geillis responds: ‘I helped women birth… I knew how to pick the right herbs to cure a headache, and I had a terrible want in me to go out at night and see the stars.’
I found Hex to be entirely absorbing. Fagan manages to pack such a lot in, from death and murder, to race and expectations. There is a real brutality to this story, as one might surely expect. I liked the juxtaposition of both narrators, with Geillis’ sometimes old-fashioned turns of phrase, and the very current events given to authenticate Iris’ point of view: ‘If only she didn’t wear stilettos. If only she didn’t walk through a park. If only she didn’t go out at night. If only those smart, brilliant sisters had realised police officers would later take selfies by their dead bodies.’
Something which I admire about Fagan is the way in which her stories are not straightforward. Even in a work as short as this one, she is such a creative author, managing to insert quite original elements, and making for a very memorable reading experience. Another, quite moving, touch is that Fagan chose to dedicate Hex to the real Geillis Duncan.
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 20, 2022DNFed at 40%.
this one wasn’t for me. although i can appreciate the themes and the general discourse, i personally didn’t resonate with the writing style. it’s too lyrical, and felt very reminiscent of poetry. part of the story was told in second person which also felt extremely odd. i couldn’t manage to get invested in the characters nor the story
this one wasn’t for me. although i can appreciate the themes and the general discourse, i personally didn’t resonate with the writing style. it’s too lyrical, and felt very reminiscent of poetry. part of the story was told in second person which also felt extremely odd. i couldn’t manage to get invested in the characters nor the story
August 13, 2024
This book feels like a tribute to all the women from the past who were voiceless in a world that wasn't made for them.
January 21, 2024
wish someone would hex me to forget this
▪️i thought the concept of this was really interesting but the execution was v poor
▪️i found the writing style so incredibly jarring and after finding out the author is a poet it literally made so much sense because both characters felt so performative and out of reach because of the artsy writing and overusing similes
▪️i also just feel like adding 'aye' to the conversational flow to remind people it's set in scotland was just annoying and ineffective
would advise just giving this one a miss tbh
▪️i thought the concept of this was really interesting but the execution was v poor
▪️i found the writing style so incredibly jarring and after finding out the author is a poet it literally made so much sense because both characters felt so performative and out of reach because of the artsy writing and overusing similes
▪️i also just feel like adding 'aye' to the conversational flow to remind people it's set in scotland was just annoying and ineffective
would advise just giving this one a miss tbh
July 27, 2024
No tengo las palabras para poder describir todo lo que este libro me ha hecho sentir. Realmente siento que es un libro perfecto, no cambiaria ni un solo signo de puntuación. La manera en que he sentido que este libro llevaba las voces de todas las mujeres... Para mi este libro ha sido como si me lo contasen las voces de todas las mujeres que han sido juzgadas y condenadas vil e injustamente por hombres a lo largo de la historia. Esta historia chilla 'sisterhood' y sororidad todo lo alto que puede.
En esta obra seguimos a la protagonista, Gillis Duncan, la noche antes de ser injustamente condenada a la horca por brujería. En esta noche, aparece un familiar lejano, Iris, que la acompaña durante las ultimas horas.
A todas las mujeres, may i find you in every life as a crowd to numb your pain 🩷
Me quedaré sin voz recomendando este libro.
En esta obra seguimos a la protagonista, Gillis Duncan, la noche antes de ser injustamente condenada a la horca por brujería. En esta noche, aparece un familiar lejano, Iris, que la acompaña durante las ultimas horas.
A todas las mujeres, may i find you in every life as a crowd to numb your pain 🩷
Me quedaré sin voz recomendando este libro.
December 12, 2022
Bewitching. Ok, i had to say that. But truly, this deceptively slender book commands your attention from the first page to last. It follows two characters--one in the past and one from the present. Both are witches, or so we/they think. And it is inspired by GRIM real-life events: the North Berwick witch trials.
It opens on the 4th of December 1591. In a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh's High Street. A young woman Geillis Duncan has been convicted of being a witch. She receives a mysterious visitor - Iris, who claims she comes from a future where women are still persecuted.
As the hours tick down until her dawn executions, Geillis rshares the story of her arrest, torture, 'confession' and so-called trial. All the while, Iris tries to offer support and the suggestion of some kind of escape.
This is quite graphic at points, as you'd expect. And also more magical that I'd anticipated.
It's part of the same series of novels as Mina's Rizzio--stories inspired by dark chapters in Scottish history.
It opens on the 4th of December 1591. In a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh's High Street. A young woman Geillis Duncan has been convicted of being a witch. She receives a mysterious visitor - Iris, who claims she comes from a future where women are still persecuted.
As the hours tick down until her dawn executions, Geillis rshares the story of her arrest, torture, 'confession' and so-called trial. All the while, Iris tries to offer support and the suggestion of some kind of escape.
This is quite graphic at points, as you'd expect. And also more magical that I'd anticipated.
It's part of the same series of novels as Mina's Rizzio--stories inspired by dark chapters in Scottish history.
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