Author: Sarah Smith
Page Count: 331
Date Finished: 05/2/23
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
Glasgow, 1817: Jean Campbell – a young, Deaf woman – is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge.
If found guilty she faces one of two fates; death by hanging or incarceration in an asylum. But Jean’s deafness leaves her isolated and unable to defend herself, until the authorities call in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution.
Through a difficult process of trial and error, Robert and Jean manage to find a rudimentary way of communicating with each other. As Jean grows to trust Robert, she reveals what really happened on that bridge over the river Clyde. And Robert, now embroiled in this dark case, must act quickly to ensure justice is served, before it is too late.
Review
First read selection for 2023 from The Scottish Book Club and from the synopsis I was expecting high trauma especially from our previous reads but was happily surprised.
The story is mainly about the relationships between the characters and how different classes of society were looked upon by other classes in the 1800s. I loved how the bond between Jean and Robert grow. Also I liked how the book was split into to. You have the story of Jean following her arrest and going through court proceedings and Roberts investigation, alongside the story of Jean prior to being arrested up to her arrest.
A well written story and very thought provoking. I’ve really enjoyed this read and flew through it in a few days because I didn’t want to put it down.
Dunfermline Reads 