In the early years of the 18th century, Scotland is torn by religious and political strife. Hogg s sinner, justified by his Calvinist conviction that his own salvation is pre-ordained, is suspected of involvement in a series of bizarre and hideous crimes. A century later his memoirs reveal the extraordinary, macabre truth.
The tale is chilling for its astute psychological accuracy as it illustrates, with power and economy, the dire effect of self-righteous bigotry on a fanatical character.

In the first half of his new introduction David Blair provides a detailed explanation of the historical and religious contexts of Hogg s novel. In the second half he probes the book s brilliant, complex engagement with issues of identity, history and narrative itself.