FINISHED READING - His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

 

The novel consists of documents relating to the case of Roderick Macrae. Most of it an extensive memoire by Roderick recounting in detail the events leading up to the heinous acts of murder he commits. It includes witness and character statements, medical reports, the trial itself and what happened subsequently.

The Macrae family are crofters in the small hamlet of Culduie. The local constable who oversees the general running of the village on behalf of the estate is Laclan Broad. A man who has an ongoing grudge against the Macrae family arising from a ram that died due to neglect at the hands of Roderick. Roderick's mother had died in childbirth the year before. Laclan starts taking land away from them, stops them collecting seaweed for fertilizer and eventually serves them with an eviction notice. He's also been forcing himself upon Roderick's sister Jesse, who now finds she is pregnant and unable to bear the shame that will follow, takes her life. This is the point where Roderick goes to Laclan's house with the intent to murder him. He slaughters not only Laclan, but his daughter Flora and son Donald in a brutal act of vengeful carnage. This then ought to be an open and shut case. He admits he did it, what is there to dispute?  Roderick's lawyer Mr Sinclair is, however, pushing for a judgement of temporary insanity.  

Graeme Macrae Burnet very cleverly constructs this novel around a brilliantly concocted range of documents and statements. One's that he has supposedly edited, often using characters from the period who actually existed. He creates footnotes to give it a further air of researched authenticity. The fact that Roderick bears the same surname of Macrae, subtly suggests a historical family link.The book carefully wrong foots your expectations of where it will eventually take you. It also presents you with an accurate and chilling representation of the poverty and struggles of a crofters life in Scotland in the 1860's. He employs the trial statements of Dr Munro and  J Bruce Thompson ( real figures in early criminal anthropology) to explore differing views of the criminal mind and what signifies insanity. Many years before the psychological theories of Freud. All the way through you expect Roderick in his memoire to be an unreliable narrator, but he's not, is he?

A very enjoyable but brutal tale that never drags its feet. I'd certainly like to read more by Macrae Burnet.

CARROT REVIEW - 6/8