Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Contraband (2015), 288 pages
Description
A brutal triple murder in a remote Scottish farming community in 1869 leads to the arrest of seventeen-year-old Roderick Macrae. There is no question that Macrae committed this terrible act. What would lead such a shy and intelligent boy down this bloody path? And will he hang for his crime? Presented as a collection of documents discovered by the author, His Bloody Project opens with a series of police statements taken from the villagers of Culdie, Ross-shire. They offer conflicting impressions of the accused; one interviewee recalls Macrae as a gentle and quiet child, while another details him as evil and wicked. Chief among the papers is Roderick Macrae's own memoirs where he outlines the series of events leading up to the murder in eloquent and affectless prose. There follow medical reports, psychological evaluations, a courtroom transcript from the trial, and other documents that throw both Macrae's motive and his sanity into question. Graeme Macrae Burnet's multilayered narrative-centered around an unreliable narrator-will keep the reader guessing to the very end. His Bloody Project is a deeply imagined crime novel that is both thrilling and luridly entertaining from an exceptional new voice.… (more)
Media reviews
Een jaar voor de dramatische gebeurtenissen verliest Roderick Macrea zijn moeder. Omdat iedereen haar persoonlijkheid vergeleek met ‘het zonlicht dat de gewassen koesterde’ was het hele dorp in diepe rouw gedompeld. Zijn vader leek er niet veel last van te hebben, hij was altijd in
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mineurstemming. Dorpsgenoten leggen de situatie allemaal anders uit. Maar er komt wel degelijk een beeld uit naar voren dat Roderick Macrae en zijn vader telkens weer vernederd werd door dorpsgenoot Lachlan Mackenzie...lees verder Show Less
Graeme Macrae Burnet’s “His Bloody Project” was shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize 2016, and it is easy to see why. It is consummately conceived and competently written. Its most interesting aspect is the clever blending of reality and fiction. For example, woven into the story are some
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figures – notably prison doctor and psychology specialist J. Bruce Thomson and journalist John Murdoch who actually existed at the time. Their roles, their thoughts, as portrayed in the novel are those that they held at the historical time of the events of the story unfolds. There are other “real” elements that have been blended in as well. Show Less
Burnet has been quick to point out that it's not a typical crime novel ("I prefer to call it 'a novel about a crime'"), and though this is indisputable, it is also true that it's just not a typical novel. The book is presented as a true-crime dossier per its subtitle, "Documents Relating to the
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Case of Roderick Macrae" — a group of found documents excavated by a fictional version of Burnet in the course of researching his grandfather (Donald "Tramp" Macrae), coupled with Burnet's reconstruction of his ancestor's trial. There are witness statements and medical reports, but the centerpiece of these documents is the fictional memoir of 17-year-old Roderick Macrae, written in prison after his arrest for a gory triple murder in his home village of Culduie in 1869. Show Less
The facts, based on a real incident in 19th-century Scotland, almost become irrelevant, so good is the telling in prose of unusual clarity. Graeme Macrae Burnet’s Man Booker-shortlisted second novel has all the advantages: brilliant characterisation, conflicting viewpoints, sharp dialogue, the
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natural eloquence of Robert Louis Stevenson and, above all, assured pacing, supported by a masterful feel for ambivalence.
True to the best of crime writing, the genius lies in the story and the way in which the characters react. It may not be a conventional thriller, but it is no less thrilling for that. The Scottish author’s gleeful wit frequently surfaces in exchanges between characters that live off the page in a work which conveys not only a sense of period but also of place (a remote village). To say it is an obvious screenplay does not diminish the sheer literary ease which underpins the narrative. Show Less
His Bloody Project appears to channel a bookish version of the currently fashionable “found footage” film genre, in which verisimilitude is suggested by randomly cobbled-together documentary material forming a fragmentary narrative. In this case, Burnet includes witness statements, postmortem
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documents on murder victims, a documentary account of a trial — and a lengthy memoir by the man accused of triple murder. The subtitle of the book reads: “Documents relating to the case of Roderick Macrae”, and these ersatz papers build a picture of an insular Highland crofting community in the 19th century while also presenting a fascinating picture of attitudes to the criminology of the era. Show Less
t’s a psychological thriller masquerading as a slice of true crime; a collection of “found” documents that play lovingly with the traditions of Scottish literature; an artful portrait of a remote crofting community in the 19th century that showcases contemporary theories about class and
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criminology. The book is also a blackly funny investigation into madness and motivation, which perhaps leads no further than one character’s grim conclusion: “One man can no more see into the mind of another than he can see inside a stone.”...The book’s pretence at veracity, as well as being a literary jeux d’esprit, brings an extraordinary historical period into focus, while the multiple unreliable perspectives are designed to keep the audience wondering, throughout the novel and beyond. This is a fiendishly readable tale that richly deserves the wider attention the Booker has brought it. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
His Bloody Project: Documents relating to the case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme Macrae Burnet tells the fictional story of a 17 year old boy name Roddy Macrae who murders three members of a neighbouring family in a small, remote Scottish village in the mid 1800s. There is no question that he
The dour and brooding atmosphere, the unreliable narration, the dark nature of the crime all combine into a spellbinding piece of historical fiction. The author has cleverly contrived to present this fictional story as a well researched actual case study and he is to be praised for his ability to make this story feel so real. I found myself totally absorbed in Roddy’s case to the point that each psychological detail and every small discrepancy was weighed and measured, and I found that for all the information that was included, what was left unsaid gave yet another meaning to the story.
His Bloody Project is an intricate story that encourages the reader to think. It is imaginative, engrossing and a very good read.
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committed these crimes but as various documents and legal papers are brought forward, a story does emerge but many questions are left unanswered as well. These documents are witness statements, medical reports, psychological evaluations, Roddy’s own written account of the incident and finally the courtroom transcript. All accounts are in conflict, all bring into question both Macrae’s sanity and motive. The dour and brooding atmosphere, the unreliable narration, the dark nature of the crime all combine into a spellbinding piece of historical fiction. The author has cleverly contrived to present this fictional story as a well researched actual case study and he is to be praised for his ability to make this story feel so real. I found myself totally absorbed in Roddy’s case to the point that each psychological detail and every small discrepancy was weighed and measured, and I found that for all the information that was included, what was left unsaid gave yet another meaning to the story.
His Bloody Project is an intricate story that encourages the reader to think. It is imaginative, engrossing and a very good read.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Although fictional, His Bloody Project has the appearance of a compilation of historical accounts of a sensational triple murder in a remote Highlands village in the mid-19th century. The documents include witness statements, coroners reports, journalist accounts of the trial, and, at the heart of
This book has been shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize, and that puzzles me. I finished the book without an inkling of what the reader is supposed to do with the information presented in the novel. Am I supposed to question the murderer's sanity, or question his guilt? Could the murderer have had an accomplice, or could he have been protecting someone else? Or is everything as it appears to be, with a victim who just “needed killing”, as the saying goes? It seems to me that this subject has been done before and done better. It's hard not to compare this book with Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace.
This review is based on an electronic advanced readers copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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the book, a lengthy confession by the 17-year-old boy who never denied responsibility for the murders. Highland customs of land tenancy figure prominently into this story, as does fatalism and its relationship to the Presbyterian doctrine of predestination.This book has been shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize, and that puzzles me. I finished the book without an inkling of what the reader is supposed to do with the information presented in the novel. Am I supposed to question the murderer's sanity, or question his guilt? Could the murderer have had an accomplice, or could he have been protecting someone else? Or is everything as it appears to be, with a victim who just “needed killing”, as the saying goes? It seems to me that this subject has been done before and done better. It's hard not to compare this book with Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace.
This review is based on an electronic advanced readers copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member SandDune
In the 1860s, in the remote and impoverished village of Culduie on the Applecross Peninsular on the west coast of Scotland, 17 year old Roderick MacRae calmly walks towards the house of his neighbour Lachlan MacKenzie, purportedly to do some work on digging a ditch behind the house. When he returns
Very much in the style of many nineteenth century novels the story purports to unfold through a series of documents discovered by the author while researching his own family history. Roderick's own memoir, which he has supposedly been encouraged to write by his advocate, is contrasted with the statements of the doctors who performed the autopsies, and the other witnesses, and with the supposed newspaper account of the trial. But what I found most interesting was the evocative descriptions of the way of life of one of the remotest parts of Scotland. But this isn't any nostalgic account, the lives lived by the crofters are harsh in the extreme, and the lack of control that they have face becomes painfully obvious.
Applecross is one of the remotest parts of mainland Scotland even today, and as somewhere I have visited more than once I found it fascinating to look at this portrait of what it would have been like to live them a hundred and fifty years ago.
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half an hour later he is covered in blood, and seemingly still calm, announces that he has killed Lachlan. So there is never any doubt as to who has committed the murder of Lachlan MacKenzie and two other member of his household. What is in doubt is the motive, and whether Lachlan is or isn't in his right mind.Very much in the style of many nineteenth century novels the story purports to unfold through a series of documents discovered by the author while researching his own family history. Roderick's own memoir, which he has supposedly been encouraged to write by his advocate, is contrasted with the statements of the doctors who performed the autopsies, and the other witnesses, and with the supposed newspaper account of the trial. But what I found most interesting was the evocative descriptions of the way of life of one of the remotest parts of Scotland. But this isn't any nostalgic account, the lives lived by the crofters are harsh in the extreme, and the lack of control that they have face becomes painfully obvious.
Applecross is one of the remotest parts of mainland Scotland even today, and as somewhere I have visited more than once I found it fascinating to look at this portrait of what it would have been like to live them a hundred and fifty years ago.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
From the opening pages the reader knows that Roderick Macrae has been arrested for the murder of three of his neighbors in the tiny village of Culdie, in Scotland in 1869. Macrae admits his guilt and the witness statements are unequivocal. So while what follows may be considered a crime novel, it
In the small farming village of Culdie, where each family supports themselves off the small allotment of land attached to their crofts and where the landowner controls their entire lives, Lachlan Mackenzie becomes the village constable, upsetting the lives of the Macrae family with his invented transgressions, each which puts Roderick's father ever deeper into debt. But whether Roddy murdered MacKenzie and two of his children for that reason or some other reason is left for the reader to decipher. His Bloody Project is composed of witness statements, examinations of various professionals and Roddy's own accounting, written at the request of his lawyer. It's a fascinating look at life in rural Scotland in 1869, and of how difficult it is to determine motivation across the distance of time, even with ample historical record.
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isn't a whodunnit, so much as a whydunnit. Why did Roddy Macrae do it? Was he driven to it or was he evil? Was he unusually intelligent or barely sentient? As the often conflicting testimonies and evidence is presented to the reader, we are left to come to our own conclusions. In the small farming village of Culdie, where each family supports themselves off the small allotment of land attached to their crofts and where the landowner controls their entire lives, Lachlan Mackenzie becomes the village constable, upsetting the lives of the Macrae family with his invented transgressions, each which puts Roderick's father ever deeper into debt. But whether Roddy murdered MacKenzie and two of his children for that reason or some other reason is left for the reader to decipher. His Bloody Project is composed of witness statements, examinations of various professionals and Roddy's own accounting, written at the request of his lawyer. It's a fascinating look at life in rural Scotland in 1869, and of how difficult it is to determine motivation across the distance of time, even with ample historical record.
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LibraryThing member ozzer
Whether or not HIS BLOODY PROJECT can be construed as fiction or true crime is not really important because the story is, in the final analysis, totally compelling. Burnet begins the book by informing the reader that what follows consists of documents he discovered while researching his own family
Roderick Macrae is a 17-year-old accused of the brutal murder of a village constable and his two children in the Highlands crofting community of Culduie in 1869. Roddy is an intelligent boy trapped in this isolated and benighted village. His mother has recently died and his father is withdrawn and abusive.
Roddy’s story is told through a series of documents. Interviews of neighbors tell conflicting stories about Roddy’s character. Some felt that he was a gentle loner prone to dreamy observations, while others described him as a troubled soul prone to evil thoughts and acts. Indeed, he raised suspicion among his neighbors by killing a neighbor’s drowning sheep and not being very religious.
A key piece of evidence consisted of Roddy’s own memoir that relates his version of events. He tells of repeated instances of harassment at the hands of the village constable, Lachlan Mackenzie, a.k.a. Lachlan Broad. Broad had a longstanding feud with Roddy’s family combined with a truly distasteful approach to his job consisting of bullying and pettiness. This is a well-written narrative that begins to raise doubts about the authenticity of the tale Burnet is telling. It seems “quite inconceivable that a semi-literate peasant could produce such a sustained and eloquent piece of writing.”
Autopsy reports and a psychological evaluation by James Bruce Thomson (a real historical figure and eminent criminologist) raise some troubling inconsistencies with Roddy’s version. Was he insane, or just seeking revenge for unbearable abuses of his family? Was this a response to a sexual rejection by Broad’s daughter? We never get answers to these questions, but Thomson’s testimony does reveal much about theories of class and criminal behavior prevalent at the time. Thomson makes a fascinating distinction between what he calls “moral insanity” and “moral imbecility.” The former is nature while the latter is the lack of nurture. Culduie “would seem a kind of paradise… were it not for the sloth and ignorance of its inhabitants.”
Burnet reconstructs Roddy’s trial from transcripts and newspaper reports. These never doubt Roddy’s guilt, but raise considerable doubt about his motive and sanity.
With his clever narrative structure, Burnet shifts perspectives to continuously re-explore the evidence and important themes while developing highly nuanced characters. He evokes a picture of the hardship and hopelessness of tenant farmers and the privileged status of the landowners. He portrays the extreme stoicism of the simple crofters. Moreover, we gives us views of witness fallibility and an early version of the so called “insanity defense.” We do indeed get a verdict, but the truth remains unrevealed.
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history in rural Scotland. Initially one has no reason to doubt his story. However, despite his claims of non-fiction, the story he is able to tell using these “found” documents is so complete and riveting that this artifice is difficult to sustain. Clearly this is a clever piece of fiction disguised as a true-crime investigation. This notwithstanding does not detract from thoroughly enjoying Burnet’s story. Roderick Macrae is a 17-year-old accused of the brutal murder of a village constable and his two children in the Highlands crofting community of Culduie in 1869. Roddy is an intelligent boy trapped in this isolated and benighted village. His mother has recently died and his father is withdrawn and abusive.
Roddy’s story is told through a series of documents. Interviews of neighbors tell conflicting stories about Roddy’s character. Some felt that he was a gentle loner prone to dreamy observations, while others described him as a troubled soul prone to evil thoughts and acts. Indeed, he raised suspicion among his neighbors by killing a neighbor’s drowning sheep and not being very religious.
A key piece of evidence consisted of Roddy’s own memoir that relates his version of events. He tells of repeated instances of harassment at the hands of the village constable, Lachlan Mackenzie, a.k.a. Lachlan Broad. Broad had a longstanding feud with Roddy’s family combined with a truly distasteful approach to his job consisting of bullying and pettiness. This is a well-written narrative that begins to raise doubts about the authenticity of the tale Burnet is telling. It seems “quite inconceivable that a semi-literate peasant could produce such a sustained and eloquent piece of writing.”
Autopsy reports and a psychological evaluation by James Bruce Thomson (a real historical figure and eminent criminologist) raise some troubling inconsistencies with Roddy’s version. Was he insane, or just seeking revenge for unbearable abuses of his family? Was this a response to a sexual rejection by Broad’s daughter? We never get answers to these questions, but Thomson’s testimony does reveal much about theories of class and criminal behavior prevalent at the time. Thomson makes a fascinating distinction between what he calls “moral insanity” and “moral imbecility.” The former is nature while the latter is the lack of nurture. Culduie “would seem a kind of paradise… were it not for the sloth and ignorance of its inhabitants.”
Burnet reconstructs Roddy’s trial from transcripts and newspaper reports. These never doubt Roddy’s guilt, but raise considerable doubt about his motive and sanity.
With his clever narrative structure, Burnet shifts perspectives to continuously re-explore the evidence and important themes while developing highly nuanced characters. He evokes a picture of the hardship and hopelessness of tenant farmers and the privileged status of the landowners. He portrays the extreme stoicism of the simple crofters. Moreover, we gives us views of witness fallibility and an early version of the so called “insanity defense.” We do indeed get a verdict, but the truth remains unrevealed.
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LibraryThing member icolford
Graeme Macrae Burnet’s Booker Prize-nominated novel, His Bloody Project, purports to reconstruct, using contemporaneous documents, the story of a brutal triple slaying that took place in the Scottish village of Culduie. On an otherwise unexceptional day in August 1869, seventeen-year-old Roderick
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Macrae strolled up the lane from his house to the house of a neighbour, Lachlan Mackenzie. On the way there he was seen by another neighbour and spoke with her. She later testified that Roddy’s manner was normal: he was calm, gave her no cause for fear and did not raise her suspicions. Once at the Mackenzie house he used farming implements he had brought with him to bludgeon to death Lachlan’s daughter Flora and son Donnie, then waited for Lachlan. When Lachlan arrived home, Roddy beat him to death as well. Burnet’s novel consists of an account of the incident written by Roddy after his arrest, several witness statements, medical reports, an excerpt from a study of criminal psychology, and the trial transcript. Posing as an historical document, Burnet’s novel is thoroughly convincing, not to mention suspenseful and addictively readable. His detailed but never heavy handed prose brilliantly reconstructs the period in which the story is set, capturing the doleful spirit of the times, the superstitions that people held, the laws under which they laboured, the technologies they used, their pastimes and the beliefs that swayed attitudes and behaviours. The book, and Roddy himself, are infused with a mood of tragic inevitability. At the trial, Roddy’s motives come under close scrutiny. Experts and witnesses weight in on possible reasons for his actions. But questions persist. How can anyone know the content of another man’s mind? Graeme Macrae Burnet has written an astonishing and gripping novel that gives the reader plenty to think about. Show Less
LibraryThing member melydia
This is fiction masquerading as nonfiction, as documents relating to the murders committed by Roderick Macrae in 1869. It starts with a handful of statements from neighbors, a lengthy confession of sorts written by the accused, a narrative from a prison psychiatrist (or the 19th century
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equivalent), and a description of the trial and its immediate aftermath. And to be honest, I was pretty underwhelmed. For the sake of realism, I assume, the writing was kind of stilted and emotionless. The outcome of the trial was abrupt, predictable, and unsatisfying. There was all this build-up and then nothing: the long tale of Macrae's short life leading up to the murders, a blowhard who may or may not have any idea what he's talking about, and that's it. The sensation caused by the trial was described with such little detail it wasn't even interesting, which was extra disappointing. In the end, I think that's my main issue with this book: it had a lot of unmet potential. The level of setting detail and character depth involved here could have woven into an intricate and memorable story. Instead, it was a largely forgettable tale about poor Scottish farmers mistreating each other. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexrichman
After Serial and Making A Murderer, it's good to get back to some good old fashioned Fake Crime. This has it all - a likeable suspect, unreliable narration, a story that twists and turns and then, finally, horrific violence. My New Year's Resolution is to recommend this book to people so I can
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discuss it with them. A great read! Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it.
It was so good, in fact, that although I'd decided to read the entire longlist this year, after finishing this one I knew I'd found my winner. How the official judging plays out may be a completely different story, but this would be my hands-down choice for
The time is 1869, and a young (17) Roddy Macrae of the small remote village of Culduie, Scotland has just killed three members of one family. His family and the other villagers are crofters, ekeing out a harsh, miserable existence, and are always at the mercy of their benefactor "the factor," and his representative in the village, the Constable. Roddy confesses right away, and there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he is guilty. But the major question in this novel is "why?" and the story surrounding the murders is revealed slowly via different sources in this book: Roddy's memoir, written "at the behest of [his] advocate," witness statements, police statements, psychological assessments, and other voices that join in to tell the story. However, there's a big catch: from page one on, it becomes very clear that truth and perception are in the eyes of the beholders, and that both may just be slippery and elusive.
I'm really not going to say more than that little bit about the plot, because really, it's a book that should absolutely be experienced on one's own. It's a stunningly superb novel, and aside from offering readers the challenge of trying to piece together what may have actually happened and why, the author has done an excellent job here in bringing us into life in the small, rather claustrophic village of Culduie, mid 19-th century. I'll just note that aside from the mystery of the why, the social, political, religious and class explorations in this novel elevate it to something well beyond anything else I've read this year.
Reading this novel at a slower pace pays dividends, and it is definitely a book to be savored. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I will say that anyone thinking about it would be wise to avoid any reviews or reader posts that give away much more than what's on the back-cover blurb or what I've said here. I'll also say that it is a story that demands active reader participation -- it's a thinking person's novel that really demands close attention, but also one that highly satisfies in the end. Sheesh! It seriously just does not get better than this!!!!
It was so good, in fact, that although I'd decided to read the entire longlist this year, after finishing this one I knew I'd found my winner. How the official judging plays out may be a completely different story, but this would be my hands-down choice for
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sure, so no point in reading further down the list for me. The time is 1869, and a young (17) Roddy Macrae of the small remote village of Culduie, Scotland has just killed three members of one family. His family and the other villagers are crofters, ekeing out a harsh, miserable existence, and are always at the mercy of their benefactor "the factor," and his representative in the village, the Constable. Roddy confesses right away, and there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he is guilty. But the major question in this novel is "why?" and the story surrounding the murders is revealed slowly via different sources in this book: Roddy's memoir, written "at the behest of [his] advocate," witness statements, police statements, psychological assessments, and other voices that join in to tell the story. However, there's a big catch: from page one on, it becomes very clear that truth and perception are in the eyes of the beholders, and that both may just be slippery and elusive.
I'm really not going to say more than that little bit about the plot, because really, it's a book that should absolutely be experienced on one's own. It's a stunningly superb novel, and aside from offering readers the challenge of trying to piece together what may have actually happened and why, the author has done an excellent job here in bringing us into life in the small, rather claustrophic village of Culduie, mid 19-th century. I'll just note that aside from the mystery of the why, the social, political, religious and class explorations in this novel elevate it to something well beyond anything else I've read this year.
Reading this novel at a slower pace pays dividends, and it is definitely a book to be savored. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I will say that anyone thinking about it would be wise to avoid any reviews or reader posts that give away much more than what's on the back-cover blurb or what I've said here. I'll also say that it is a story that demands active reader participation -- it's a thinking person's novel that really demands close attention, but also one that highly satisfies in the end. Sheesh! It seriously just does not get better than this!!!!
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
Roderick Macrae, a 17 year-old crofter, murders Lachlan Mackenzie, the community "constable", who has been persecuting his family, together with Lachlan's daughter Flora (for whom Roderick has has romantic feelings) and his infant son. His stated motive is to free his father from further
I found the section written from Roderick's viewpoint both harrowing and sad. The picture presented of life on a croft was depressing, as was the lack of ambition and aspiration, especially on the part of Roderick, who had a free education offered to him. The bullying meted out by Lachlan was cruel and overwhelming and I began to feel quite murderous towards him myself. In contrast, the more "factual" sections of the story were easier to read, although Roderick, even in his own first person account, wasn't an easy man to like.
There were indeed "clues" throughout the first half of the story (mostly in the form of discrepancies), which tie in with a possible explanation of Roderick's behaviour suggested at the end and these were cleverly done. On a general level, the novel shows how Victorian Scotland conflated and/or confused immorality, the "lower class", heredity and insanity.
A reasonably easy read, but thought-provoking and clever.
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persecution - he murdered Flora and her brother because they were there and he didn't want them to sound the alarm. The story is presented by way of witness statements, Roderick's memoir of "how it all went wrong" (which he writes in prison on remand), the testimony of an expert on criminal insanity and accounts of the trial.I found the section written from Roderick's viewpoint both harrowing and sad. The picture presented of life on a croft was depressing, as was the lack of ambition and aspiration, especially on the part of Roderick, who had a free education offered to him. The bullying meted out by Lachlan was cruel and overwhelming and I began to feel quite murderous towards him myself. In contrast, the more "factual" sections of the story were easier to read, although Roderick, even in his own first person account, wasn't an easy man to like.
There were indeed "clues" throughout the first half of the story (mostly in the form of discrepancies), which tie in with a possible explanation of Roderick's behaviour suggested at the end and these were cleverly done. On a general level, the novel shows how Victorian Scotland conflated and/or confused immorality, the "lower class", heredity and insanity.
A reasonably easy read, but thought-provoking and clever.
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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Seventeen-year-old Roddy Macrae is a murderer. He is guilty - he has freely admitted it. He murdered three people in cold blood, his bloody project. Roddy is a poor crofter in the Scottish highlands in 1869 but he can read and write and he voluntarily makes a statement regarding the crime including
His Bloody Project by Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet reads like a true crime story even to the inclusion of a preface that explains the author's 'discovery' of documents pertaining to the crime while doing genealogy research on his family as well as footnotes at the end. The novel, for it is a novel and an extremely well-written and compelling one, is told through these documents - witness statements, Roddy's statement, conversations with witnesses recorded by his solicitor, and news reports of the trial including testimony by experts on criminal psychology including measurements of his head and the shape of his ear lobes.
His Bloody Project made it to the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize, a rare honour for any book but even rarer given that this is a historical thriller. But then this is a rare historical thriller. Macrae does an amazing job of portraying the period including the language used in formal documents, the culture, the use of phrenology to identify criminals, and, of course, the class system. Since the story is told through documents, most of the action occurs off the page*. However, the prose and the uniqueness of the tale more than make up for this. This is also a very dark and moody tale that kept me glued to the page throughout. If I was to critique His Bloody Project in two word, they would have to be 'bloody brilliant'.
*it should be noted that the description of the murders and the wounds sustained, especially to the female victim are quite graphic
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why - except Roddy may not be a trustworthy witness and we can't be sure if he is telling the whole truth given some of the evidence.His Bloody Project by Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet reads like a true crime story even to the inclusion of a preface that explains the author's 'discovery' of documents pertaining to the crime while doing genealogy research on his family as well as footnotes at the end. The novel, for it is a novel and an extremely well-written and compelling one, is told through these documents - witness statements, Roddy's statement, conversations with witnesses recorded by his solicitor, and news reports of the trial including testimony by experts on criminal psychology including measurements of his head and the shape of his ear lobes.
His Bloody Project made it to the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize, a rare honour for any book but even rarer given that this is a historical thriller. But then this is a rare historical thriller. Macrae does an amazing job of portraying the period including the language used in formal documents, the culture, the use of phrenology to identify criminals, and, of course, the class system. Since the story is told through documents, most of the action occurs off the page*. However, the prose and the uniqueness of the tale more than make up for this. This is also a very dark and moody tale that kept me glued to the page throughout. If I was to critique His Bloody Project in two word, they would have to be 'bloody brilliant'.
*it should be noted that the description of the murders and the wounds sustained, especially to the female victim are quite graphic
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LibraryThing member gayla.bassham
Very mixed feelings about this book. It's told entirely through documents pertaining to the trial of a boy who admits to killing three people. In general, Burnet does a good job with the voice, although at times I felt the trial transcript itself sounded more modern than it should have (especially
I don't understand why this is on the Booker longlist, and I probably would be a little bit easier on it if it hadn't been.
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the dueling psychological experts -- would they even have existed at the time?). More than that, though, I get that writing up all of these documents in an authentic way was a creative challenge for Burnet but I don't get exactly what he was trying to say; I don't see this book shedding any fresh new light or looking at this point in history through a different lens. I also thought the sister's storyline was painfully cliched, although that's a bit of a gray area since we only hear about her from the accused himself.I don't understand why this is on the Booker longlist, and I probably would be a little bit easier on it if it hadn't been.
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LibraryThing member Pencils
Am I supposed to be thinking about Roddy's sanity? I'm not. I found this story to be a powerful and disturbing depiction of oppression, rigidity, hatred and hopelessness. I finished the book thinking about the misuse of power and how political, social and religious systems can cause suffering
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within families and within communities. Roddy seems like something of a cipher but his father, sister and the larger than life Lachlan Broad seemed all too terribly real to me. Show Less
LibraryThing member JulieStielstra
An online reader appreciated my review of Susannah Clarke's Piranesi, and asked if I was familiar with Graeme Macrae Burnet - I was not. The book my correspondent mentioned specifically wasn't readily available in my local library system, so I tried this one instead. I like crime novels, and
In an introduction, Burnet states he was doing research into the Macrae family when he discovered this case, and the entire story reads so successfully as a "true crime" tale, that I found myself wondering if it actually was a real case... which chimes beautifully with the issues of reliability, lies and truths, secrets and guilt and criminal responsibility explored in it. Vivid, lurid, shocking, tragic... well done, Mr. Burnet.
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nineteenth-century / Victorian settings, and if this one was short listed for the Man Booker, I figured it must be pretty good. It is. Skillfully constructed, assembling various "documents" surrounding the brutal murder of three people in a tiny remote Scottish village, it tells us right up front who the killer is. The question is why, and how responsible he is, and whether those involved in the investigation - witnesses, neighbors, experts, lawyers, journalists, and indeed the murderer himself - are reliable, truthful, or accurate. It also bears witness to the cruelties and arbitrariness of the powers in such a community, with its class divisions, family secrets, and sufferings beneath the thatched roofs. One crofter is repeatedly fined for violations of "regulations" by a vengeful constable. When the crofter goes over his head and politely requests to see the regulations, he is informed that they are so generally understood and accepted that there never has been any need to write them down, and if they were, he wouldn't be allowed to see them.In an introduction, Burnet states he was doing research into the Macrae family when he discovered this case, and the entire story reads so successfully as a "true crime" tale, that I found myself wondering if it actually was a real case... which chimes beautifully with the issues of reliability, lies and truths, secrets and guilt and criminal responsibility explored in it. Vivid, lurid, shocking, tragic... well done, Mr. Burnet.
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LibraryThing member startwithgivens
3.5 stars
I really struggled to get through this audiobook and I admit that I was not fully there for all portions of it, so I definitely missed some details. However, I thought the layout of the book and the writing style were very good. I felt a strong connection to the main character and I was
I really struggled to get through this audiobook and I admit that I was not fully there for all portions of it, so I definitely missed some details. However, I thought the layout of the book and the writing style were very good. I felt a strong connection to the main character and I was
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rooting for him the entire time. I must say that the historical aspect just didn't come out for me, and I am not sure why. I was aware of it at most times, but for some reason I could just as easily see this happening 20 years ago as 150 years ago. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cariola
Well, I whizzed through the audio version of this book in a day and a half, so that should tell you something! It's 1869, and a brutal triple murder has occurred in a small Scottish village. Young Roddy Macrae is clearly the killer; he doesn't try to hide his guilt. But what was his motivation? And
Burnet's novel takes the form of a case study based on documents. The primary source is Macrae's own account, written at the behest of his lawyer, who hopes to spare his life by proving him insane. But the novel also relies upon neighbors' statements taken by the police, the medical examiner's reports, psychiatric evaluations, and the complete transcript of Roddy's trial. Along the way, we're given a detailed picture of the hard, bleak, cruel life of the poor in 19th-century Scotland. It's these details, as well as the opposing views of young Roddy, that make the novel both complex and fascinating. [His Bloody Project] reads a bit like a true crime story--a genre that I'm generally not fond of. Yet it also creates an engaging story with memorable characters that draw the reader in, and the fine writing is both distinctive and appropriate to the content.
I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give any spoiler, and I want to encourage everyone to read and discover this books for themselves. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly read by Antony Ferguson (who has a wonderful Scottish accent).
This book was a finalist for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
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was he sane at the time of the murder?Burnet's novel takes the form of a case study based on documents. The primary source is Macrae's own account, written at the behest of his lawyer, who hopes to spare his life by proving him insane. But the novel also relies upon neighbors' statements taken by the police, the medical examiner's reports, psychiatric evaluations, and the complete transcript of Roddy's trial. Along the way, we're given a detailed picture of the hard, bleak, cruel life of the poor in 19th-century Scotland. It's these details, as well as the opposing views of young Roddy, that make the novel both complex and fascinating. [His Bloody Project] reads a bit like a true crime story--a genre that I'm generally not fond of. Yet it also creates an engaging story with memorable characters that draw the reader in, and the fine writing is both distinctive and appropriate to the content.
I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give any spoiler, and I want to encourage everyone to read and discover this books for themselves. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly read by Antony Ferguson (who has a wonderful Scottish accent).
This book was a finalist for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
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LibraryThing member Nirmala.Chandrasiri
His Bloody Project, short listed for Man Booker prize 2016, is unlike any other novel I have ever read. The story revolves around Roderick Macrae, a seventeen year old boy from Culduie in Ross-shire, who commits a brutal triple murder by killing Lachlan Mackenzie, the area constable, and two of
From the beginning of the novel Roderick Macrae does not attempt to refute the charges that are brought against him. Roderick maintains he only “wished to deliver (his) father from the tribulations which he had lately suffered” and deaths of Flora and Donald Mackenzie “were necessitated by their presence in the house and (his) wish to prevent them from raising the alarm.” At no point Roderick Macrae shows remorse for what he has done and his continuous insistence to be of sound mind, raise questions of his sanity throughout the trial.
According to Roderick Macrae, Lachlan Mackenzie ill-used his power to subdue the Macrae family. The two families shared a long history of wrath, and although John Macrae; Roderick’s father tried to remain calm about the wrongs committed against his family (which could be very well out of his ego) by Lachlan Mackenzie, it brought Macraes nothing but destruction. Even though, one might say Lachlan Mackenzie had it coming, the heinous nature of the crime makes one wonder if such an act can be committed by a sane person. How can one determine terms of insanity is one of the ongoing themes of the novel.
Graeme Macrae Burnet’s fiction is presented to us in a unique form. Set in the 19th century, it consists of an account by Roderick Macrae in which he describes the events that led to the gruesome killings. Furthermore, it has statements from residents of Culduie, medical reports, news paper extracts on the trial and so forth. Hence, the book reads like true crime, although it is a work of fiction, which I really appreciate about this book.
"Certainly, neither Applecross nor Camusterrach – primitive as they were – prepared us for the wretched collection of hovels that comprised the domicile of R___ M___. The short ride between Camusterrach and Culduie afforded, it must be said, a magnificent vista of isles of Raasay and Skye. The strait that separated these islands from the mainland sparkled agreeably in the sunlight. The contrast when we turned into the track which led to Culduie could not have been greater, and I can only imagine that the unfortunate natives of this place must daily avert their eyes from the beauty before them, so as not to be reminded of the squalor in which they dwell."
Also, Graeme Macrae Burnet tells us what it must have been like to live in the Scotland highlands in old days. He tells us of the many hardships a crofter like John Macrae would have had to undergo, just to barely survive.
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Mackenzie’s children; Flora, aged fifteen and Donald, aged three.From the beginning of the novel Roderick Macrae does not attempt to refute the charges that are brought against him. Roderick maintains he only “wished to deliver (his) father from the tribulations which he had lately suffered” and deaths of Flora and Donald Mackenzie “were necessitated by their presence in the house and (his) wish to prevent them from raising the alarm.” At no point Roderick Macrae shows remorse for what he has done and his continuous insistence to be of sound mind, raise questions of his sanity throughout the trial.
According to Roderick Macrae, Lachlan Mackenzie ill-used his power to subdue the Macrae family. The two families shared a long history of wrath, and although John Macrae; Roderick’s father tried to remain calm about the wrongs committed against his family (which could be very well out of his ego) by Lachlan Mackenzie, it brought Macraes nothing but destruction. Even though, one might say Lachlan Mackenzie had it coming, the heinous nature of the crime makes one wonder if such an act can be committed by a sane person. How can one determine terms of insanity is one of the ongoing themes of the novel.
Graeme Macrae Burnet’s fiction is presented to us in a unique form. Set in the 19th century, it consists of an account by Roderick Macrae in which he describes the events that led to the gruesome killings. Furthermore, it has statements from residents of Culduie, medical reports, news paper extracts on the trial and so forth. Hence, the book reads like true crime, although it is a work of fiction, which I really appreciate about this book.
"Certainly, neither Applecross nor Camusterrach – primitive as they were – prepared us for the wretched collection of hovels that comprised the domicile of R___ M___. The short ride between Camusterrach and Culduie afforded, it must be said, a magnificent vista of isles of Raasay and Skye. The strait that separated these islands from the mainland sparkled agreeably in the sunlight. The contrast when we turned into the track which led to Culduie could not have been greater, and I can only imagine that the unfortunate natives of this place must daily avert their eyes from the beauty before them, so as not to be reminded of the squalor in which they dwell."
Also, Graeme Macrae Burnet tells us what it must have been like to live in the Scotland highlands in old days. He tells us of the many hardships a crofter like John Macrae would have had to undergo, just to barely survive.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
A case study of a gruesome triple murder committed in a rural Scottish village in 1869, presented through a jailhouse memoir written by the accused, medical reports, trial transcripts, &c. A real page-turner, but very dark from start to finish (as one might expect). Recommended.
LibraryThing member celerydog
Unreliable narrator, pseudo-historical 'found' documents, setting so well described that it becomes as good as a character - all my favourite ingredients for an unputdownable read. Highly recommended and should glean excellent discussion with fellow readers.
LibraryThing member otterley
This is the story of Roderick MacRae, a young man executed for murder in an impoverished Scottish crofting community in the late 19th century. So far so simple. It's tole in a post-modern way through the medium of a series of documents found by a descendant doing some family research, bringing
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together trial documents, newspapers, book chapters and a narrative written by the unreliable MacRae himself at the time. It raises questions of authenticity and narrativity on one hand, and about poverty, religion, deprivation on the other, through the means of a crime story with an uncertain outcome. In terms of authenticity, I struggled a lot with the first person narrative. I'm entirely prepared to believe that a Scottish elementary education at that time would have entirely fitted its recipient to write fluently; however, for me the writing lacked the contemporary idiiom that would be found in writers like Stevenson, or the biblical phrasing that might have suited someone brought up and educated away from the metropolis in a strongly religious community. The book sits somewhere in the middle of a not particularly compelling crime story and a narrative about poverty and its grinding impact on the individual - with a side offering of diagnosis about madness. Interesting, but oddly insubstantial Show Less
LibraryThing member EBT1002
Told through a journal written by the murderer, witness statements, the notes of a criminal psychologist, and the account of the trial, this is the story of Roddy Macrae, a 17-year-old crofter guilty of murdering three members of his local community. That community is Culduie, a tiny hamlet in
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Applecross Village in the northwestern Highlands of Scotland. And the year is 1869. There is no question that Roddy brutally killed the local constable, his 15-year-old daughter, and 3-year-old son. The novel centers around his motivations, his mental state at the time, and the possible outcome of the trial. The feudal system and the rigid class distinctions and assumptions are vividly portrayed here, as are the wild Scottish Highlands. The narrative is compelling and the characters richly conceived. And this was almost a 4-star read but for my frustration with Roddy's persistent passivity and the capricious destiny that the author, along with the residents of Culduie, would somehow have us believe had a hand in the events as they unfold. Of course, that is part of Burnet's brilliance - his fascinating depiction of the world view of the day along with the dreadful cruelty of what must indeed be seen as fate. One's station at birth determined much; the odds of shifting that circumstance inconceivable. Show Less
LibraryThing member Vicki_Weisfeld
This remarkable faux “true-crime” thriller was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize and an immersive, inventive fable it is. The conceit is that the author, in researching his family history, uncovers a 17-year-old relative named Roderick Macrae, who in 1869 stood trial in Inverness,
After some prefatory remarks, the story picks up steam in the longest section of the book, a confession written by Roddy himself. Opinion at the time, the author notes, held it was entirely unlikely that a barely educated crofter, living in desperately reduced circumstances, could write such a literate account of himself and his life.
Roddy freely admits he committed the murders. The nub of the case is whether he was in his right mind when doing so and whether the then rather new insanity defense is appropriate. His victims were Lachlan Mackenzie, the autocratic and vindictive constable of the area, who seems, for various reasons and an inherent meanness, intent on breaking apart the Macrae family; Mackenzie’s 15-year-old daughter Flora, whom Roddy has gone walking with a few times and hopes to romance; and Mackenzie’s three-year-old son Danny.
In describing life in the tiny, poverty-struck village of Culduie, Roddy’s memoir recounts a great many petty tyrannies visited on the family by Mackenzie, which might (or might not) be sufficient motivation for murder. Since Roddy’s mother died in childbirth, the Macrae family has lurched through life, bathed in grief and laid low by privation. From Roddy’s confession as well as other testimony, readers gain a detailed picture of daily life and the knife-edge on which survival depends. Fans of strong courtroom dramas will relish the way the courtroom scenes in the book both reveal and conceal.
The audiobook was narrated by Antony Ferguson. He gives sufficient variety to the speech of the characters to make them both easily identifiable and compelling individuals, from the engaging Roddy to the condescending psychiatrist and prison doctor, whom author Burnet based on the real-life J Bruce Thomson, to the ostensibly straightforward journalistic accounts.
The format of this book makes it unusual in crime fiction. It is a more literary version of the dossier approach used by Dennis Wheatley, in such classics as Murder Off Miami, which our family loved to read and solve.
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Scotland, in a notorious triple murder case. In trying to get to the bottom of this episode, the author has assembled a variety of original documents. He presents this evidence, and the reader must weigh it along with the court.After some prefatory remarks, the story picks up steam in the longest section of the book, a confession written by Roddy himself. Opinion at the time, the author notes, held it was entirely unlikely that a barely educated crofter, living in desperately reduced circumstances, could write such a literate account of himself and his life.
Roddy freely admits he committed the murders. The nub of the case is whether he was in his right mind when doing so and whether the then rather new insanity defense is appropriate. His victims were Lachlan Mackenzie, the autocratic and vindictive constable of the area, who seems, for various reasons and an inherent meanness, intent on breaking apart the Macrae family; Mackenzie’s 15-year-old daughter Flora, whom Roddy has gone walking with a few times and hopes to romance; and Mackenzie’s three-year-old son Danny.
In describing life in the tiny, poverty-struck village of Culduie, Roddy’s memoir recounts a great many petty tyrannies visited on the family by Mackenzie, which might (or might not) be sufficient motivation for murder. Since Roddy’s mother died in childbirth, the Macrae family has lurched through life, bathed in grief and laid low by privation. From Roddy’s confession as well as other testimony, readers gain a detailed picture of daily life and the knife-edge on which survival depends. Fans of strong courtroom dramas will relish the way the courtroom scenes in the book both reveal and conceal.
The audiobook was narrated by Antony Ferguson. He gives sufficient variety to the speech of the characters to make them both easily identifiable and compelling individuals, from the engaging Roddy to the condescending psychiatrist and prison doctor, whom author Burnet based on the real-life J Bruce Thomson, to the ostensibly straightforward journalistic accounts.
The format of this book makes it unusual in crime fiction. It is a more literary version of the dossier approach used by Dennis Wheatley, in such classics as Murder Off Miami, which our family loved to read and solve.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
It's oh-so-easy to forget that you're reading fiction instead of true crime. Beautifully delineated are the lives of the crofters (farmers) who must contend daily with the whims of the landowners, factors, and constables. And young Roddy's life is heartbreaking. His life definitely held a great
His Bloody Project unfolds to its inexorable conclusion, allowing readers to absorb the hopelessness of Roderick's life. Nothing is spelled out; readers are allowed to think for themselves every step of the way... and to wonder if the trial's outcome may have been different if events involving Roderick's sister had been allowed to come to light. This certainly isn't cheery reading, but it's a masterful bit of storytelling.
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deal of promise, but it was ruined by poverty and the maliciousness of others.His Bloody Project unfolds to its inexorable conclusion, allowing readers to absorb the hopelessness of Roderick's life. Nothing is spelled out; readers are allowed to think for themselves every step of the way... and to wonder if the trial's outcome may have been different if events involving Roderick's sister had been allowed to come to light. This certainly isn't cheery reading, but it's a masterful bit of storytelling.
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LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This was one of the nominees whose description appealed to me from last year's Booker short list. Seventeen year old Roderick Macrae brutally killed three people in a Scottish farming village in the late 19th century. The mystery is not "whodunnit", but "why?", and whether there is a chance that
The book is formatted as a series of documents, including witness statements taken by investigators, psychiatric evaluations of Roderick's state of mind, trial transcripts and other documents. The heart of the novel is a personal narrative "written by" Roderick himself for his attorney, setting forth his version of the events leading up to and through the crime itself. Burnet did an excellent job of presenting the story of the crime and the trial through a 19th century lens.
My favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the day-to-day lives and hardships of the villagers, living in what was essentially a feudal society, subject to the whims and cruelties of the landowners, constables and factors. The author vividly and convincingly portrays the hopelessness of their lives.
However, as a 21st century psychological thriller, the book is less successful, I think. While the book uses the technique of unreliable narrators, and presents contrasting and varying viewpoints of Roderick and his actions, in the end, the "big reveal" was a big let-down. In addition, the pacing was rather slow, and I never felt compelled to keep turning the pages to see what happened next.
A Newsweek review describes the book as "halfway between a thriller and a sociological study of an exploitive economic system..." I'd say it's much less than "half a thriller," although it is still a decent read.
I was intrigued by the sound of Burner's first novel, The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, and liked His Bloody Project enough that I'd pick up his earlier book if I came across it.
3 stars
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Roderick's life will be spared in his criminal trial. The book is formatted as a series of documents, including witness statements taken by investigators, psychiatric evaluations of Roderick's state of mind, trial transcripts and other documents. The heart of the novel is a personal narrative "written by" Roderick himself for his attorney, setting forth his version of the events leading up to and through the crime itself. Burnet did an excellent job of presenting the story of the crime and the trial through a 19th century lens.
My favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the day-to-day lives and hardships of the villagers, living in what was essentially a feudal society, subject to the whims and cruelties of the landowners, constables and factors. The author vividly and convincingly portrays the hopelessness of their lives.
However, as a 21st century psychological thriller, the book is less successful, I think. While the book uses the technique of unreliable narrators, and presents contrasting and varying viewpoints of Roderick and his actions, in the end, the "big reveal" was a big let-down. In addition, the pacing was rather slow, and I never felt compelled to keep turning the pages to see what happened next.
A Newsweek review describes the book as "halfway between a thriller and a sociological study of an exploitive economic system..." I'd say it's much less than "half a thriller," although it is still a decent read.
I was intrigued by the sound of Burner's first novel, The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, and liked His Bloody Project enough that I'd pick up his earlier book if I came across it.
3 stars
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LibraryThing member oataker
Poor Roddie is a loner, brilliant but lacking in emotional empathy. He is bullied by the neighbour Lachlan and his own father is useless. The sex side is disastrous, being part of Lachlan's powers over him. He takes violent revenge against Lachlan, but also against two of his children. Roddie's
Now I realise the book is all made up, instead of being contemporary accounts as it is set out, how does that influence my view of the story? It transforms it. Now I see I am completely in the hands of the author's decisions, and what is said about all the characters may only reflect the author's prejudices. Some of the fascination of the book has gone.
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sister Jetta is a sad figure, abused by Lachlan, getting pregnant, bound for rejection by the locals, dressing in old clothes and eventually killing herself, at least not harming anyone else. Now I realise the book is all made up, instead of being contemporary accounts as it is set out, how does that influence my view of the story? It transforms it. Now I see I am completely in the hands of the author's decisions, and what is said about all the characters may only reflect the author's prejudices. Some of the fascination of the book has gone.
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Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2016)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Mystery/Thriller — 2016)
Scotland's National Book Awards (Winner — Fiction — 2016)
NPR: Books We Love (2016)
The Observer Book of the Year (Fiction — 2016)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2016)
Language
Original publication date
2015