Hex (Darkland Tales, #1) | Jenni Fagan
Hex explores the consequences of blind superstition and the dark side of human nature. A read that is uncomfortable but deeply necessary.
I've been on a bit of a witchy streak lately. When I first read The Familiars this year, a loose retelling of England's Pendle witch trials, it invoked in me a deep sadness that was hard to explain. Similarly, Hex revolves around the North Berwick witch trials in Scotland, where it recounts the last few hours of accused witch Geillis Duncan as she awaits execution.
Plot
Hex opens in sixteenth-century Scotland, where a woman accused of witchcraft waits for her death in a prison cell. Geillis Duncan's last night alive is interrupted by a visitor from the future, who calls herself Iris. Iris appears to be someone living in the present day who is drawn to Geillis and thus visits her by traveling back in time through a seance.
This is when Geillis tells us her story: who she was, what she did, and how she ended up here. She describes her circumstances and how the political situation in Scotland contributed to her current predicament.
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. So say the King and his guards. So say the witch-pricker and his sadistic friends. So say the husbands, the haters, the wives, the daughters, the God-fearing – demons are always trying to kill them, so they know. So says the hangman who sleeps with Bible in hand.
As a survivor of something similar, Iris hopes to offer Duncan a few moments of peace and solace in her final hours. The chapters alternate between Iris and Geillis as they exchange their stories without anyone else twisting them to suit their narrative.
Hex makes it clear that even hundreds of years ago, men did not need any criteria to call a woman a witch. She just needed to attempt to rise above her station: so that she could be put back in her place. Any woman is fair game. It's sickening and disturbing to know what kind of torture those men can resort to, to achieve their ends. This is a rather unsettling read.
Characters
Geillis
Geillis is a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Even after enduring unimaginable cruelty and torture, something in her remains unbroken till the end. She is strong, but she is also vulnerable in the face of the fate that awaits her in the morning.
The murder of Geillis Duncan is to be performed for the State and the King and the bailiff who accused her; it is for the God-fearing, it is for ordinary people who like a good hanging. For those who need to hate. To elevate themselves on hatred. If you were not hanged in the morning, Geillis, how many people would go home feeling cheated? Disappointed not to see you die in front of them? They want to be able to say they were there when Geillis Duncan died. To dine out on the story for years. There was a witch we saw killed!
I went into this book imagining Geillis Duncan to be someone similar to the woman in the early seasons of Outlander. However, I was in for a bit of a shock, because the real Geillis Duncan is nothing like her television counterpart.
Iris
Iris somehow comes from the future after being drawn to Geillis for a reason. I found it a little strange since the book does not really elaborate on who she is and how she got there. Nonetheless, she and Geillis have their similarities: they both have seen the worst that humanity has to offer in a world where women are persecuted for their beliefs and their identities.
Worldbuilding
The book is set in sixteenth-century Scotland, during the rule of James VI and Anne of Denmark. During a time when fear and superstition were rampant, his actions play a significant role in the persecution of witches. While I got the gist of the history, I think Fagan could have done with a little more exposition.
Weddings, births, hangings. There is a bloodlust in humans. Let's watch a girl hang to death! The King is showing all his might! Who would fight a man who has taken down the Devil himself? King James didn't start this particular witch-hunt, but he will certainly finish it. How does he fight the Devil?
Writing Style
Hex is a rather short book, but I believe it is the perfect length for the subject it deals with. Any longer would have been dragging it out. Its main objective is to focus on the final few hours of Geillis Duncan's life and tell us the truth about what really happened.
The writing is beautiful and sophisticated enough without being too ornate or flowery, although I did feel that some of the monologues were a little unnecessary. Nonetheless, Geillis' anger and pain ripple through the pages of this book. It is terrifying to know that you are going to die in the next few hours. To know that thousands of people will be there to watch you die. This very real and sobering fear is felt throughout the story.
In Conclusion
For such a short book, Hex packs quite a powerful punch. Fagan's work explores of the dark side of human nature and the consequences of blind superstition. A grim reminder of the importance of fighting for justice, it makes for a read that is uncomfortable but deeply necessary. Raw and visceral, Geillis Duncan's tale will haunt me for a long time.
Rating ★: 8 / 10