Synopsis
St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie's husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.
Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women grow ever closer. Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister plan: he will leave Florrie in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but when she turns to Eliza for help she realizes nothing is quite as it seems . . .
Inspired by an attempt by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire, The Repentants is a chilling tale of betrayal, exile and survival from the Women's Prize long-listed author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.
Praise for Kate Foster:
'Tense, thrilling . . . with a decidedly feminist slant' – Daily Mail
'Masterful . . . I literally didn't look up from the first page to the last' – Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
'Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling. Foster transports the reader back in time, bringing alive the forgotten and hidden voices of women in the past' – D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance
Details
28 May 2026
9781035052103Reviews
Kate Foster can pluck a dark story from the depths of history and bring it to vivid life before your eyes. The Mourning Necklace is her best yet . . . Foster is a class act and an author who, if you haven't read her yet, what are you waiting for?
What a fabulous read . . . Kate excels at bringing the forgotten women of history back to life and giving them the attention they deserve
Riveting . . . The tension persists until the last page
Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling . . . An utterly timely tale
