His Bloody Project: A Historical Thriller

One of the novel’s most prevalent recurrent elements is the literary technique known as the unreliable narrator, which is typically presented as a first-person narrative in which the viewpoint character provides the reader with false or misleading information. In His Bloody Project, Burnet thematizes this element by presenting two lengthy sections that feature different unreliable narrators in the writings of Roderick Macrae and J. Bruce Thomson. By presenting two narratives of dubious veracity, one right after the other, Burnet compounds this technique’s disorienting effect and thematizes the ways in which information is omitted or obscured. This is most apparent in Roderick’s omissions around descriptions of sexuality, which are crucial to understanding his narrative and play a major role in his trial. Because Roderick consistently obscures or omits instances of sexuality that he witnesses or enacts, it becomes apparent that Roderick is an incredibly canny writer who is attempting to portray himself in a light that doesn’t necessarily accord with objective reality.

Although it is subject to less scrutiny than Roderick’s writing, Thomson’s memoir is riddled with similar instances of obfuscation. For example, he notes that his writing “is based on the record [he] compiled from memory upon returning to the inn” (149) he stayed at while investigating Roderick. As such, his recollections cannot be taken at face value and represent a version of events that is, wittingly or unwittingly, obscured in the service of his narrative. Paired with his propensity toward self-aggrandizing, there is ample reason to search for other instances, in his writing and testimony, where he obscures the truth to present himself in a favorable light.

Obfuscation also intertwines with the notions of fate and providence that run throughout Roderick’s account. For instance, Roderick is struck by Jetta’s admission that she received a vision indicating that Lachlan Mackenzie will soon die. As Roderick muses:

“One would struggle to think of an individual in our parish who was in such rude health and less likely to be stricken by some sudden ailment… Was it, thus, possible that Lachlan Broad was not merely destined to meet his end, but that this end lay in my hands?” (126).

The vague nature of Jetta’s vision encourages Roderick to fantasize about, and eventually take, an active role in Lachlan Mackenzie’s demise. This instance shows how obfuscation can also become a generative space in which someone like Roderick is able to project their desires.