Came for the comparisons to Maggie O’Farrell and AK Blakemore, stayed for the evocative and immersive tale of a medieval woman born centuries ahead of her time. Bright I Burn is inspired by the real-life story of Alice Kyteler, who, in the 14th century, was the first woman in Ireland to be persecuted as a witch. In Aitken’s richly detailed telling, Kyteler is a wealthy, powerful and intelligent money lender, full of desires and secrets – all things that women of her time were not supposed to be. I absolutely loved it.
Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken, (List Price: $28, Knopf, 9780525658399, September 2024)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi