It's a well-written, engaging book, but I struggled with understanding whether Shaw was presenting the women's confessions as something she believed was fact. It's orienting and made it difficult to trust anything she was saying. Shaw is clearly passionate about her topic, angry with the Scottish government's memorializing of these women, and talented at writing narrative and scenery. But there's not nearly enough distance from her subject to make a clear narrative the reader can follow. It was disappointing, as I really wanted to learn more about these women.