Description

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 BOOKER PRIZE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 GORDON BURN PRIZE

‘A page-turning blast.’ Times

‘Genuinely affecting … a very funny book.’ Guardian

‘Burstingly alive and engaging.’ Telegraph

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED HIS BLOODY PROJECT.

‘I have decided to write down everything that happens, because I feel, I suppose, I may be putting myself in danger.’

London, 1965. An unworldly young woman suspects charismatic psychotherapist Collins Braithwaite of involvement in a death in her family. Determined to find out more, she becomes a client of his under a false identity. But she soon finds herself drawn into a world in which she can no longer be certain of anything.

In Case Study, Graeme Macrae Burnet presents both sides: the woman’s notes and the life of Collins Braithwaite. The result is a dazzling, page-turning and wickedly humorous meditation on the nature of sanity, identity and truth itself, by one of the most inventive novelists writing today.

Publisher Review

'Encourages us to look more closely at the inherent instability of fiction itself ... genuinely affecting ... a very funny book.' -- Nina Allan, Guardian "A riveting psychological plot ... tortuous, cunning ... clever." -- Kate Webb, The Times Literary Supplement 'Caustically funny and surprisingly moving, this is one of the finest novels of the year.' -- Christian House, Financial Times "Burnet's triumph is that it's a page-turning blast, funny, sinister and perfectly plotted so as to reveal - or withhold - its secrets in a consistently satisfying way ... Rarely has being constantly wrong-footed been so much fun." -- James Walton, The Times 'You'll be completely beguiled by this sly, darkly comic offering, with its unreliable narrator and its equally unreliable author.' -- Neil Armstrong, Mail on Sunday 'Such is Burnet's skill that he immediately convinces the reader that everything he is about to say is based on historical fact ... brilliantly depicted ... intriguing ... compulsive reading.' -- John Boyne, Irish Times "A wonderful book, very beautifully and intricately written, finely detailed and at times laugh out loud funny, populated by satisfying well-drawn characters." -- Arabella Weir 'Fun and funny, sly and serious, a beguiling literary game that manages to say more about the nature of the self than any number of more self-consciously solemn works' -- David Szalay 'His is a talent that shines brightly ... an insightful, clever and exquisitely observed book ... The characterisation is masterful.' -- Dundee Courier 'What a book! ... a dizzying experience ... The characterisation is superb; so rich ... The sense of time and place is also wonderful.' -- Catherine Simpson 'Poses questions about the nature of the self and the authenticity of identity ... witty ... one of the most inventive writers around.' -- Product arts and culture magazine 'Enormous fun ... a mystery and a psychological drama wrapped up in one. Case Study is a triumph.' -- Alex Preston, Observer 'Brilliant, bamboozling ... Burnet captures his characters' voices so brilliantly that what might have been just an intellectual game feels burstingly alive and engaging.' -- Jake Kerridge, Telegraph "Sinister and cleverly done ... punctures the myth-making of the period." -- Anthony Cummins, Daily Mail "What's real and what's not is beside the point in this skilful portrait of a disturbed woman and her encounters with an experimental 1960s psychotherapist ... Both strands quickly become compelling ... I was hooked like a fish." -- Leyla Sanai, Spectator 'A thrilling investigation into the nature of sanity and identity' -- Alice O'Keefe, Bookseller "Poses questions about the nature of the self and the authenticity of identity ... fine comic passages ... shed[s] light on the dark places of the mind ... He is an uncommonly interesting and satisfying novelist." -- Allan Massie, Scotsman "Undoubtedly one of the best books of the year." -- Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae "A masterclass of diversion ... blurring the lines of fiction and reality ... serious and witty at once ... an enthralling read." -- Heather McDaid, The Skinny 'A novel of mind-bending brilliance. Graeme Macrae Burnet is a master of muddying the waters, of troubling ideas of truth and identity, fiction and documentary, and Case Study shows him at the height of his powers' -- Hannah Kent