Shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize, ‘His Bloody Project’ by Graeme Macrae Burnet tells the story of seventeen-year-old Roderick Macrae, accused of committing three brutal murders in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands in 1869. Presented as a series of documents “discovered” by the author whilst researching his family history, the first half of the book consists of Roddy’s written statement in which he confesses to the crimes and gives his version of events leading up to the murders followed by an account of the trial and verdict. The identity of one of the victims is revealed at the beginning to be local constable Lachlan Mackenzie while the other two remain a mystery until the event itself occurs.
Published by Contraband, a small independent imprint based in Scotland specialising in crime fiction, ‘His Bloody Project’ was relatively unknown when it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize earlier this year but quickly became one of the most popular titles amongst readers. It is very much a crime fiction novel with a difference due to the way in which Macrae Burnet poses the story as “true crime” in the introduction. This challenges the reader to consider whether they would feel the same amount of sympathy for Roddy as a fictional character or when believing him to be a real person. Intriguingly, other less central characters really did exist such as the medical criminologist James Bruce Thomson.
Inevitably, ‘His Bloody Project’ has been the subject of a debate surrounding the presence of “genre” novels on literary fiction longlists but it is the strength of the characterisation and the convincing depiction of the Scottish caste system in the community which makes it such an enjoyable read. As a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit, the story explores Roddy’s alleged insanity and the extent to which his family’s poverty was the main factor behind the murders while the tension in the second half of the book lies in whether or not Roddy will be found guilty in court. The author’s preface acknowledges that there are “doubts” surrounding the authorship of Roddy’s written confession adding further layers of mystery to the significant number of unreliable statements in the case file, ultimately leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions from the evidence presented.
I read ‘His Bloody Project’ a few weeks after the Man Booker Prize was awarded to ‘The Sellout’ by Paul Beatty (which I haven’t read yet) but I think I may well have been championing for it to win had I read it before the announcement. Macrae Burnet has pulled off a deceptively intricate experiment with form in this gripping and psychologically complex book which thoroughly deserves the wider publicity and readership it has garnered from its place on the shortlist.
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I love the crime literary elements & authors who can accomplish to merge the two genres cohesively are champions… I can’t wait to read it soon lovely review 👌
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Thanks! Yes it’s very well written and absorbing so hope you enjoy it!
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Am giving this to my other half as a Christmas Eve present this evening, but now you’ve made me want to read it too. Great review!
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Fantastic, hope you both enjoy it!
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My favourite so far is the Coetzee (not shortlist I know). We had the McRae at book group last month. I and another both thought this was very similar to Burial Rites but that BR was better. Which I think coloured my enjoyment of this one. Although it was very memorable and well done.
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That’s interesting, I have to say I didn’t think of Burial Rites when I was reading His Bloody Project but the setting and atmosphere are both quite similar.
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Sounds like something I would like. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
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No problem, hope you enjoy it!
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Maybe I should give it another try. Started the Kindle sample after it was longlisted, but decided not to purchase. Your review leads me to believe I may not have given it a fair chance.
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It’s definitely worth persevering with as there are quite a few twists!
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I just bought this for my dad for Xmas, and am hoping to get a loan. After your review, I’ll make sure I do! The title alone is almost enough for me to pick it up.
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It’s a brilliant book and really gripping, so I hope you get a chance to read it!
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I’ve only seen a couple of reviews on this book but it sound SO GOOD. I’ve really got to make more of an effort break out of my current YA rut, comfortable as it is!
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Hope you give it a try – it’s definitely worth it!
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It was the only shortlister I read, and I really enjoyed it.
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Yes, I’m so glad it has a wider audience now too.
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Just looking back on this review today and really keen to give it a read! It’s interesting to hear that the ‘genre fiction’ debate is still on. How do you feel about genre fiction on literary fiction award lists? Do you feel the boundaries are still clear, or still there at all? (Still trying to work this out for myself!)
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It’s a difficult question – the boundaries seem to be increasingly fluid when it comes to genre but ultimately, if the writing is good then I don’t have a problem with genre fiction on literary longlists – His Bloody Project definitely deserved its MBP nomination for its inventiveness alone.
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Thanks that’s really helpful. As you say, it’s good writing that counts!
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Absolutely!
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I just bought this!
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Hope you enjoy it!
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