The Burnings – The new enthralling historical novel of 2023, based on a true story

Our summary description

As Independent Scottish booksellers, we write all of our descriptions personally, we hope you enjoy this one.

In 1589, fear is a weapon readily turned on women. Geillis, a Scottish housemaid, understands how quickly suspicion can harden into violence. Margareta, a Danish courtier, moves through corridors of influence where power feels secure, yet rests on equally fragile ground. Their lives appear distant from one another, until the marriage of King James VI to Anna of Denmark draws them into the same tightening web.

As rumours of witchcraft spread and the North Berwick trials take hold, belief becomes a tool of control. Accusation carries more weight than truth, and the line between faith and ambition blurs. Geillis and Margareta find themselves navigating a world where survival depends on silence, strategy, and the careful reading of men who fear what they cannot govern.

The Burnings is a historical novel alive with tension and intelligence, rooted in Scotland at a moment when paranoia reshaped law and life. It examines how women endure and adapt under threat, and asks whether the language of magic, once turned against them, might also be reclaimed as a form of resistance when power reveals its true cost.