Writer / Christina Cochran
There are books that are enjoyable to read, and then there are books that create a feeling you carry with you after you close the cover. Susan Fletcher’s “The Highland Witch” is one of those books. Set in the Scottish Highlands during the Jacobite era, the novel is rich with history, family, loyalty and uncertainty. But what makes it especially memorable is the world Fletcher creates around her characters. The Highlands are not simply where the story takes place. They are felt on nearly every page—in the mountains and forests, the weather, the animals and the changing seasons.
Fletcher has a beautiful way of noticing the natural world. She gives attention to the small things: the quality of the light, the feel of the weather, the land beneath a character’s feet. The result is a story that feels deeply rooted in its surroundings.
You can almost feel the chill in the air and imagine the mist settling over the hills. There is plenty of hardship in the story. The Jacobite conflict brings fear, uncertainty and loss, and the choices facing the characters are often difficult ones. Yet the novel never loses its tenderness. Fletcher allows room for beauty alongside sorrow, and for hope alongside all that is uncertain.
Her writing is poetic. She is observant without overexplaining. The characters feel shaped by the people they love, the traditions they have inherited, and the land they call home. That connection to home is one of the things I found most moving. Even when circumstances pull people apart, the Highlands remain a part of who they are.
And perhaps that is why “The Highland Witch” feels so right for October. There is something wonderfully autumnal about a story filled with misty hills, old traditions, changing weather and the feeling that winter is approaching. It is a book to settle into slowly, when the evenings grow darker and the world outside begins to quiet.
For readers who love historical fiction, Scotland, folklore and beautifully drawn landscapes, “The Highland Witch” offers an immersive and deeply moving reading experience. It is atmospheric without being overly dark, historical without feeling distant, and full of the kind of beauty that stays with you.
