Hear No Evil: Shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger 2023

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I loved Robert and how well he advocated for the deaf community especially as the story is set in 1817! It does so naturally, with a light touch that doesn’t detract from the swiftly-moving mystery at its heart. Based on a real case, and featuring some real characters from history, "Hear No Evil" is a fictionalised account of the trial of Jean Campbell at the High Court in Edinburgh in 1817 - a time when women were under the guardianship of either their fathers or husbands. This was a really interesting book set with a deaf lady, Jean, as the main character and a man, Robert, who ran a deaf school and who was charged with interpreting for Jean in her trial. The novel does follow the trial of Jean Campbell but this is more the story of her interpreter Richard Kinniburgh.

One of Smith's great gifts is the evocation of convincing period locations, making our journey into Edinburgh's grim Tolbooth prison in the year 1817 a rich and claustrophobic experience.

Already, perhaps, you can see both why Smith was drawn to this story and – because of her insistence that early sign language be a key part of it – the difficulties inherent in telling it. This is the story of a woman marginalised by society, facing a court that could view her as stupid or even insane because they do not know her language. Scottish Spoken Word Showcase Spoken word is an increasingly visible and important part of Scotland’s cultural life.

This twining, carefully constructed tale imagines the lost nuance behind the only accounts of the trial that we have. 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. She was arrested for apparently having thrown her child into the River Clyde and that there is someone who saw her. There are different forms of justice meted out to various characters and this raises some interesting questions about punishment, revenge and rehabilitation. The way the narrative moves back and forward in time filling in all the pieces of the story was very effective.It is very rare that we switch to Jean’s perspective at all – in fact, most of the time we get the perspectives of the various hearing men that she encounters throughout her life, some of which are nicer and more respectful and understanding than others. The fact that Jean was a deaf woman adds such a unique concept to this that I’ve never see explored before. The book focuses on Jean Campbell, a deaf woman from the Hebrides accused of throwing her baby in a river in Glasgow and it’s set in 1817.

It actually isn’t set in a period I’m particularly fond of reading about, but it had enough subject matter to hook me. Jean's voice especially is a joy; she is sharp, pragmatic, and a true foil to Kinniburgh's middle-class sensibilities and ideals. The teacher sent to investigate moves from interpreter to investigator, as he determines to clear her name before it's too late. A striking and stylish literary page-turner that breathes life into the past, illuminating a fascinating corner of history by revealing its lost voices and contemporary resonance.Smith uses Jean Campbell’s case to explore the lives of deaf people in Regency-era Scotland, and as such the plot is often secondary to the historical context. The historical evocation of Edinburgh and the dramatic murder story were both so well done and so rewarding. A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds of smells of 1817 urban Scotland. A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds and smells of urban Scotland in 1817. There are persecuted Irish Catholic laborers, including Jean’s paramour Jim Donnelly whose love for Jean isn’t enough for him to support her and her unborn child.