Benbecula

Reviews / Votes

'Dark, intense and utterly compelling' -- Laura Wilson * The Guardian * 'An elegant, eerie volume... Although ostensibly a fictionalisation of a real-life triple murder on the titular island, Benbecula is really a book about how precarious the idea of the self is' -- Stuart Kelly * The Scotman * 'The novel's devilish appeal lies in the intoxicated and isolated Malcolm's narration from within the confines of his family's "skullhouse," ... The author once again proves his mastery of moody psychological thrillers' * Publishers Weekly * 'Graeme Macrae Burnet's recreation of a macabre incident in 19th-century Hebridean history is unrelentingly disturbing and utterly gripping' -- James Robertson 'Benbecula is a powerful novel, more concise than his Booker-shortlisted His Bloody Project which was set in Applecross on Scotland's west coast. Both books share, however, a sense of how landscape and isolation sometimes affect people in small communities' -- Donald Murray * Stornoway Gazette * 'A gripping meditation on madness and identity, on what it is to know oneself, and to know anything at all... Psychological thrillers have rarely been so poetically dark and enthralling. A remarkable work of psychological intrigue and dark wit' -- Joanne Owen * LoveReading * 'tells the true story of a long-ago murder, but it is the slow and subtle reveal of the narrator's troubled mind that lingers long after the horror of the brutal crime begins to fade. Modern Scottish literary fiction at its finest' * Fiction Fan Blog * 'Burnet goes beyond simplistic ideas of good and evil to explore the nature of madness, crime and punishment' -- Alistair Braidwood * SNACK Magazine * 'a consummate slice of alternative true crime' -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail * 'A sometimes hard-to-read testament to the banality of evil, and a heartfelt cry of despair that is well worth a day of your time' * Scottish Field * 'Benbecula... moves along with tremendous speed, and with an inexorable momentum... a brilliant and shocking novel, like the bright blade of a tuskar cutting into the dark flesh of the peatbank' -- Duncan McLean * The Orcadian * 'deliciously dark' -- Antonia Senior * The Times * 'Some crime writers are successful at creating fully-formed living, breathing characters; others are more adept at playing games with the reader: to an almost unique degree, Macrae Burnet excels at both' -- Jake Kerridge * The Telegraph * 'A deep dive into a mind teetering on the brink ... The author has taken very little licence with the facts, but has brought a masterful touch to his retelling of them ... an unsettling atmosphere evoking both inner darkness and the faint presence of the strange and inexplicable' -- Alastair Mabbott * The Herald * 'A literary trickster writing at the peak of his powers' * Waterstones Recommends * 'Graeme Macrae Burnet skilfully maintains the tension as Malcolm slowly unravels and the true depth of the family's crisis is revealed' -- David Annand * Times Literary Supplement * 'Burnet is a skilful writer who interweaves notions of doubt, justice and guilt into this slim book' * Historical Novels Society * 'Psychologically perceptive and darkly atmospheric . . . A profound and ambitious work. His best yet' * Bookmunch * 'It is without doubt a fine achievement and one which will remain with the reader well after finishing the novel' * Queensland Reviewers Collective * 'Part psychological thriller, part socio-legal critique, Benbecula is peak Burnet. It's a blast to read but its real genius lies between the lines' * A Book for Ants *