People of the Outside is a difficult read, which the reader is warned about in the Foreword, written by Sasha Ravitch.
. . . it is not the Witch which has become marketable, an object of desire, but rather some strange claw-less imago. For how can anything pleasing or consumable truly be Witch? The Witch, if one looks closer, is still that which society recoils from: the figure who forces our defensive projections, who makes a shrill cathexis in our unconscious cauldron, conjuring a fear (that we might, ourselves, become that dreaded other thing) that becomes hatred. (Foreword)
This is not Lee Morgan's first book, and he brings a delicious curvaceousness of language that dissolves like bitter apple on the tongue, leaving behind a deep lesson. The subject matter is deeply thought-provoking and challenging. Either the first chapter will speak to you, or you will be irritated. If the latter, put it down and walk away, perhaps to return in the future.
If, however, the words speak to you, then you will be rewarded for your delving.
The chapter titles offer a glimpse into Morgan's vision:
Chapter 1. What Sews a Witchcraft from a Baby Hide?
Chapter 2. What in the Dark They Fear We Witches Do.
Chapter 3. Witch-Blood and the Beast
Chapter 4. Cannibal of the Outside
Chapter 5. A Night of the Long Teeth
Chapter 6. Profane Kisses and Ritual Uncleanliness
Chapter 7. Union Sinister
Chapter 8. Divergent: Evolutionary Chaos Theory
Chapter 9. They All Lived Together in a Crooked Little House
Chapter 10. Inside the Skull Labyrinth
Chapter 11. Mirror Handed
Chapter 12. Hollow Riding Voices
Chapter 13. Dropping into Radial Castle
Morgan describes the witch as the perennial outsider, necessary for societal cohesion in its need for an Other. The cannibalism referred to in the title is not of the flesh, but of ourselves. I frequently had to put it down to work through my reaction to having my worldview challenged. This is writing that moves in and through the liminal while remaining on the page. Many taboo topics are discussed (such as incest) but in way is it prurient or licentious.
Morgan blends deeply explored research with personal vision and an eloquent turn of phrase that ofttimes feels like poetry. There is an extensive bibliography that promises to take the reader as deeply into specific topics as they wish to go.
Challenging, but worth it.
~review by Lisa McSherry
Author: Lee Morgan
Moon Books, 2024
pp. 224, $14.95
