Graeme Macrae Burnet’s A Case of Matricide is a beautifully written noir novel. Shadowy characters fill the pages, prowling dark and brooding city streets, alleyways, and bars.
The story in A Case of Matricide is intricately woven, with layers of significance throughout. A character in the book is actually writing his own book with the same title; the main character, a police officer, looks incredibly similar to a man who follows him through the book, drawing a striking connection between the two. Most significantly, however, is that the book is written as if Burnet translated a French author’s work.
Within the pages of the book, the original text was not written by Burnet but by a fictional character, Raymond Brunet. This is a very powerful frame, which allows the layers of significance to become deep and entangled. In the foreword and afterword, Burnet notes that he did not translate the text exactly but added elements of his own writing, as if the original text was unfinished. In the afterword, he discusses tracking down the original manuscript, discovering that Brunet had heavily edited it by pen, indicating that it was in an unfinished form.
The police officer at the centre of this novel is Inspector Georges Gorski. The trail of investigations he takes on throughout are not the core of the story. Instead, each serves to highlight different aspects of Gorski’s character. Likewise, the foreword and afterword, which claim that the novel is a translation, are key elements of the work. If skipped over or ignored, the text would have an entirely different appearance. Major layers of significance would be lost.
With A Case of Matricide, Graeme Macrae Burnet has elevated the detective novel to incredible heights. Down the road, this novel will likely be studied in university courses, both Creative Writing and English Literature.
Graeme Macrae Burnet was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, and now lives in Glasgow. His Bloody Project, his second novel, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016, won the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award 2016, and was shortlisted for the LA Times Book Awards 2017. His fourth novel, Case Study, was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022 and was included in the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2022. A Case of Matricide is his fifth novel, the third featuring Chief Inspector Georges Gorski.
Publisher: Biblioasis (November 12, 2024)
Paperback 8″ x 5″ | 288 pages
ISBN: 9781771966474
Luke Francis Beirne is the author of two novels, Blacklion and Foxhunt, and has contributed to outlets such as Counterpunch, NB Media Co-op, and CrimeReads. Luke has a BA in English Language & Literature from St. Thomas University and an MA in Cultural Studies & Critical Theory from McMaster University. Though born in Ireland, he moved to Manitoba as a child and now lives in Saint John, New Brunswick.
- Luke Francis Beirnehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lukereadsbooks/
- Luke Francis Beirnehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lukereadsbooks/
