The historical setting of Edinburgh and Glasgow are rendered well and give an insight into the developments of the cities and how they would have looked in the 1800s. Often in historical fiction, characters will display uncharacteristically “woke” personalities - because that is what a modern reader hopes for, that our predecessors were not as bigoted as we’ve been taught. Author Sarah Smith does not step into this trap, and it is interesting to note the reader’s feelings - because as much as I want realism, I also felt distinct distaste at the narrow-mindedness of some characters (even the sweet Robert Kinniburgh). But if you’re not making your readers feel something, what are you doing with your words, anyways? The Bloody Scotland Prize for Scottish Crime Writing first awarded in 2012 was renamed The McIlvanney Prize in 2016. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was introduced in 2019 and won by Claire Askew who this year made the McIlvanney longlist along with Deborah Masson who won the Debut Prize in 2020. Hear No Evil is historical fiction loosely based on the true story of Jean Campbell, a deaf woman in 1817 arrested for being seen allegedly throwing her child into the river Clyde, the book follows the court case, Jean’s interactions with her interpreter Richard Kinniburgh and navigates through a world of deafness.

Overall I did really enjoy this book and it’s enlightening approach. The writing is pleasant and tactful and Jean Campbell was an endearing character, I just wished I spent more time with her. I honestly had no expectations at all. I was just happy that the story might reach a wider audience. The bottom line for me was that readers would feel I’d shown the Deaf community truthfully and authentically, and would be entertained along Hear No Evil is based on the true story of Jean Campbell, a deaf woman accused of throwing her baby into the Clyde. This is historical fiction (although at the end found out it is based on a real case) about a deaf woman that has been charged with the murder of a baby and resulting in the subsequent case and trial.

Inspiration

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. This is the kind of novel I love to read. A figure from the past is given a voice and their story fictionalized in novel form with many true life threads woven through. This novel is inspired by the story of Jean Campbell, a deaf woman who lived in 1817 Glasgow. She was arrested for apparently having thrown her child into the River Clyde and that there is someone who saw her. This is her story and the story of the man who recognized that deaf people deserved the same justice as anyone else and so made the court trial possible using ab early form of sign language. We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2022. With thanks to The Glencairn Glass for their support of this year’s prizes. That is precisely the story Sarah Smith tells in her debut novel Hear No Evil, which is partly based on the real-life case of Jean Campbell, a Glaswegian who in 1817 was the first deaf woman tried in a Scottish court, accused of throwing her three-year-old child into the Clyde from the Saltmarket Bridge. Her trial made legal history for another reason: the court employed Edinburgh deaf school owner Robert Kinniburgh to help in her interrogation. In the novel, he does a lot more, repeatedly going to Glasgow to ascertain the facts of the case and see if he can uncover anything that could save Campbell from either the hangman’s noose or the insane asylum. The book is told from several perspective, but the main character is not Jean, but a man named Robert, who is a teacher of Deaf from Edinburgh and who is tasked with interpreting for Jean. This proves difficult as Jean is illiterate (hence they cannot use finger spelling to bridge communication gaps) and their signs vary slightly. Robert uses signs more closely aligned with BSL, Jean has no formal education and would be using more dialect (and/or home signs). Just for context: British Sign Language was not recognised as a language until 2003, nearly 200 years later and certainly not something that was particularly accessible to many d/Deaf people at that time. Especially so as Jean does not come from a Deaf family, so she had little actual exposure to sign language until she was an adult and moved to Glasgow, where she found a Deaf community.

Karen Campbell & Charlie Roy: Things We Don’t Remember, Things We Can’t Forget Charlie Roy’s The Broken Pane follows Tam’s flight into her past, after a tragic discovery throws her life off course. Karen Campbell’s Paper Cup journeys with Kelly, who is homeless and decides to leave the streets of Glasgow to return to her child… Based on a case from Scottish legal history, Smith's novel s kilfully combines crime fiction with a woman's struggle to speak the truth' The Times Bloody Scotland in partnership with The Glencairn Glass, the world’s favourite whisky glass, recently resurrected the short story competition which took place in the first year. The latest incarnation, with media support from the Scottish Field Magazine, received entries from all over the world. Many previously unpublished. The winner was from Australia and was published in Scottish Field Magazine. The author has taken the scant details of the case and created an immersive tale. Despite the book being based on Jean’s story Robert Kinniburgh vies for the central character spot. Kinniburgh, a teacher at the deaf school is called in to communicate with Jean when she is imprisoned in Edinburgh's tolbooth.What a debut from Sarah Smith! The writing talent coming out of Scotland at the moment is immense and Smith is right up there with the best. I sometimes struggle a little with historical fiction which is often so riveting, well written and interesting but so many aspects are made up and I end up struggling to separate fact from fiction. As a result, I don’t really read this genre often. However, I saw this and had to read it when I realised it focuses on a deaf character and features BSL (I’m deaf but not native signer, although I started learning BSL later in life). Besides writing a good story, Smith is also a delightful wordsmith. Just listen to this description: "Every bit of sinew and muscle in operation, the slight flap of aged skin escaping from her tightly rolled sleeves."

The book really shines a light on the difficulties of communication for the deaf community before there was a formalised sign language. It also highlights misconceptions and prejudices surrounding deaf people, just because their mode of communication was different from the hearing population. Speaking of realism, I used my iPad’s dictionary function so much while reading Hear No Evil - Scottish dialect of the 19th century was odd. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was launched in 2019 and two of the early winners, Claire Askew and Deborah Masson have this year graduated to the longlist for the McIlvanney Prize. Arusa Qureshi, a former editor of The List, replaces Janice Forsyth as a judge for the Bloody Scotland Debut this year and she joins Kenny Tweeddale from sponsors, The Glencairn Glass, and Simon Lloyd from Waterstones. As much as I make an effort to read diverse books, I can’t remember ever reading a book with a deaf protagonist. That is the main reason I requested Hear No Evil. It actually isn’t set in a period I’m particularly fond of reading about, but it had enough subject matter to hook me.What happens when a person who is deaf and without speech, is accused of murder? What if this happens not in our time, or even in Helen Keller’s time, but 200 years ago - before sign language was standardised (sort of), and when deaf persons were often assumed to be unintelligent? The story was borne out of frustration, really. I began looking at the court records and there was very little about Jean herself. She was an important figure in Deaf history because she was tried on the same basis as a hearing person. In the absence of facts, I decided to fictionalise the reasons for Jean’s crime; what had led her and her child to be on that bridge in the first place? I hoped my fictional Jean could give the real Jean a voice that was denied her at the time. Amanda Mitchison, The Wolf Hunters (Fledgling Press). Set in a brutal, chaotic Scotland of the near future. The author is an award-winning journalist and author of several children’s books.