His Bloody Project

I loved this book, it was incredibly clever, engaging and very well written. It sparked so much conversation at the Book Club and it was incredibly interesting that everyone had read it a different way or had a different view. I definitely think it is worthy of the Booker Prize!

I read this with the @BookandBrew book club.

"His Bloody Project" is a cleverly constructed novel based on a brutal triple murder committed by a young crofter named Roderick Macrae. His written account of his life and the events leading up to the murders forms the bulk of the novel, alongside other "found" documents. Macrae skilfully builds a picture of the small Highland community and its inhabitants. He creates a sympathetic image of his protagonist and building up a palpable sense of his frustration and powerlessness. The later sections of the book then cause the reader to question everything they've been told.

With Roderick asserting his guilt consistently the book is a "why" rather than "whodunnit" also raising questions about Rodericks sanity. Macrae also weaves in hints of other dark deeds within the community and raises wider questions about life in such a place.

Although based on a dark subject "His Bloody Project" is an engrossing and though provoking read. It is the kind of book you almost don't want to pick up because you'll find it almost impossible to put down again.

When the Man Booker Prize longlist was released, our book club - Book & Brew - was selected to shadow the prize. I was so excited, and scoured the list of books working out which ones I wanted to read. 'His Bloody Project' by Graeme Macrae Burnet immediately stood out as the one I was most interested in reading (though there were many others that sounded great!) Suspecting the odds were not going to be in my favour, I downloaded it to my Kindle to read on holiday. I couldn't believe our luck when, whilst on holiday, the shortlisted books were announced, and we got the news that we had been given 'His Bloody Project' as our shadow book. How about that?!

And my, it did not disappoint or fail to live up to my expectations! This is a fantastic novel, cleverly structured to invite the reader to play detective by reviewing a number of documents 'found' by the author that tell the tale of a brutal triple murder within a small crofting community in the Scottish Highlands in the 1870s. It's not a spoiler to say that the main protagonist admits to the crime - it's a whydunnit as opposed to a whodunnit (though even that topic generated a lot of discussion at our book club get together!) Featuring witness statements, medical reports, a map, glossary, a personal account from the murderer and an account of the trial, the reader is given multiple perspectives on what occurred, and is left to determine what they think really happened and Roddy's true motivation for the horrific crimes. This is a well researched novel, and invokes a strong sense of the brutal, sparse and harsh way of life at the time in this remote, rural community. The author subtly and deftly hints at some of the more horrendous underlying issues without expressly telling the reader what actually happened, which all lends to deepen the intrigue and mystery surrounding what actually occurred and why.

I would - and have! - whole heartedly recommend this novel without reservation to others. It was roundly enjoyed and praised by all of our book club members, generating a massive amount of discussion. It would be a well deserved winner of the Man Booker Prize in my eyes. Good luck to Mr Macrae Burnet!

I read this with @bookandbrew as part of the Reading Agency official shadowing for the Man Booker Prize. I absolutely loved this clever, quirky page turner. The author weaves a plot that makes you question not only the characters and events but also yourself. What would we do in a similar position? What would our deliberations on a jury involve? Would we find the defendant guilty or not guilty? How much can truth be determined on the accounts of others. The author very cleverly leaves a lot of this to the reader. You will be thinking about this book long after you put it down.
I will be cheering this book on to win the Man Booker Prize for 2016.

I read this book as a member of the book club, ‘Book and Brew’ as part of our role as shadow judges for the Man Booker Prize. This is the story of a brutal triple murder in the Scottish Highlands set in 1869, but it’s more than a crime novel, it forced me to question everything!

The book blurb states that Burnet’s story explores ‘the provisional nature of truth.’ I felt that its themes were so much wider. It provoked a plethora of questions and introduced a wide variety of themes.

One of the most contentious was female subordination. The evident lack of power of the female characters to repel incest and rape prompted comparisons between this historic novel and modern times. Jetta’s unavoidable, early ascension to a parental and wifely role following her mother’s death caused us (and her) great melancholy. There was a strong presence of inescapable female shame which should have been placed in the hands of the male perpetrators. Some of which, we felt was not too distant from current examples of victim-blaming and shaming. However, there was a distinct ray of hope in the form of Kenny Smoke’s particular brand of feminism;
'One of my daughters is worth ten of any other man’s sons'.

As a Geographer and Sociologist, I was quite fascinated by the relevance of the urban, rural divide and debates regarding nature and nurture. The evidence given regarding criminals and the differences between those raised in cities and towns and those from a setting such as Roddy’s home town of Culduie was interesting and gave an insight into how well-researched the book had been.

One of the most important ideas raised in the book was the idea of responsibility - was this incident inevitable since Roddy was a product of such a violent upbringing? For someone who has not been taught the acceptable social norms and values, who does not have appropriate moral sense, is this person, therefore a;

'Moral imbecile...no more culpable for their condition than a cretin is his.'

Macrae-Burnet’s writing style allowed me to gain access into each character’s version of events, often giving us more of an understanding of them than the perpetrator, Roddy. The use of found documents meant that there were many believable characters, despite their being from such a different time.

This book proved to be a very interesting, thought-provoking read, with historical themes of great relevance today.

A engaging story. At the trial you feel just as one of the jury would have done and come to the same verdict . Difficult to understand how it was shortlisted in this years Booker. I think the judges have more of an eye to proving they have no cultural bias - 2 British, 2 Canadian and 2 other nationality, too tidy to be just chance!

I read this book with my book group - Book and Brew - as part of the Man Booker Prize shadow judging.

I was really excited as this was the shortlisted book that I really wanted to read - and I absolutely loved it!
For me, the clever thing about this story is that the fact of the murder is never really in doubt (or is it?), but the truth of it is constantly uncertain. The unique use of the "found documents" writing style not only allowed for a creative way to put forward different versions of the story, but also allowed you to question the different versions of the "truth".

The prose just leapt off the page and completely engrossed me, without ever actually feeling like I was reading something fictitious. It flowed very well and kept me turning the pages, and I was desperate to know the jury's verdict, even if it was somewhat inevitable.
It beautifully demonstrates how we can never really know 'the truth' - it is always coloured by preconceptions or prejudices, or even changed by things we can't or won't admit to ourselves.

A very strong contender for my read of the year!

I enjoyed the first three quarters, though it was a similar, less gripping read than 'Burial Rights' by Hannah Kent. The solicitor's report added little to what was already known.

I read this book with my book club - Book and Brew - as official shadow judges for the Man Booker Prize.

We all really liked it.

It's a story about a 19th century Scottish crofter who kills three people in his village. That's not a spoiler, we know it up front and the rest of the novel considers the event from various points of view. There is a large diary-style retelling from Roddy, the murderer, as well as 'found documents' from the coroner and transcripts from the trial.

The structure of Burnet's novel and the reliability of the information he presents to the reader make you question every piece of information you receive in this book. It subtly weaves layers of detail together to present a narrative in which multiple outcomes are possible, none of which the author specifically advocates.

Readers will query everything in this book, from the detail of the events, trustworthiness and motivations of the characters, to their own moral stance on the ideas of responsibility and truth.

It is a wonderfully complex novel without being contrived, and it is delicately crafted despite the harrowing subject matter.

From its innovative structure to its multi-layered narrative, this deserves the Man Booker Prize.