Ashes and Stones

This book is a compelling blend of the history of the Scottish witch trials and Allyson's own personal history as a ‘blow in' from the US to Scotland. It was interesting to have places I'm familiar with, to the extent that I take them for granted, I think, painted in a new light through Allyson's eyes and through the lens of this very human history that is so often treated like a carnival sideshow. In recounting the histories of those accused of witchcraft, dehumanised by time and by those who would capitalise on their pain, Allyson has given these women back a voice, and I finished the book feeling like I knew them, and Allyson, a little better.