‘The Last Witch on the Knock’ by Aimee MacDonald

Published by John Murray,
12 March 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-39982127-8 (HB)

What is real and what exists only in our imagination?  Are there places in the world where time can compress to let a tortured woman leap through the centuries to safety? 

This story is presented through the eyes of Thomasin, a student estranged from the world because of her depression and the debilitating effect of a toxic relationship with her boyfriend.  The prose reads like a stream of consciousness at first, due to the device of dispensing with inverted commas to denote speech.  The reader is left wondering whether the dialogue is internal or external which adds to the feeling of Thomasin’s isolation. 

Gradually the characters emerge and achieve a bright, haphazard clarity, throwing the strangeness of Thomasin’s behaviour into sharp relief. 

Thomasin’s mental state leaves her in a dream-like condition, often unaware of the impact of her erratic behaviour on the people around her.  She is despatched to stay with her aunt and young cousin in the countryside for the summer.  

There is a reservoir, and looming over the little town there is the steep hill known as the Knock. 

In a near-drowning incident on the reservoir, Thomasin feels herself invaded by strange feelings and memories which are not her own.  

Centuries before, teenage Kate knows the Knock like the back of her hand.  She is headstrong, happy and impulsive, and all goes well until she secures a job at the Big House and falls under the lecherous gaze of the Laird. Refusal is not an option, and fighting back can mean only one thing.  The Devil must be in her. It has to be cut out and burned away. 

Powerfully and inexorably the lives of the two women are drawn together into one final act of revenge and redemption.
--------
Reviewer:  Jane Andreoli

Amy Elizabeth Macdonald, born August 1987 is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She is known for her folk and pop rock sound. Rising to fame with her 2007 debut album This Is the Life, whose title track topped charts in six countries, she has sold over 12 million records worldwide. Her debut book The Last Witch on the Knock was published in March 2026. 

 

Jane Andreoli. I have been in love with words ever since my mother read me bedtime stories before I could read for myself. As a writer, I enjoy creating mysteries with twists in their tails, and I love a well-crafted plot. My literary heroes are Jane Austen for her superb social observations, Shakespeare for the amazing way he crunched the English language into new shapes to express his emotions, Margery Allingham for her satisfyingly convoluted plots and Phil Rickman for his masterful command of supernatural atmosphere.  I also love Douglas Adams and Sir Terry Pratchett for their humour, satire, and social commentary. I have an honours degree in English, but fortunately that was so long ago that I have forgotten all those pretensions and rediscovered the joy of creative writing.  I am now a published author, currently working on my next book. I have just reached that delicious stage where the characters become autonomous and start making their own decisions.  Anything could happen and probably will.