I realised halfway through Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet, that the ‘story’ went well beyond the novel I held in my hands. It’s one of those books that, as I was reading, I was side-tracked by internet searches. And if you’ve read Case Study, you’ll know that the Googling (and I absolutely couldn’t help myself) highlights just how clever Burnet is.

Case Study is told from three perspectives. It begins with Burnet, who describes how he came across charismatic psychotherapist Collins Braithwaite, and was then contacted by a stranger in possession of notebooks belonging to one of Braithwaite’s patients. The stranger urged Burnet to tell the patient’s story and, although Burnet was initially concerned about the authenticity of the notebooks, he did some fact-checking and took on the task.

The notebooks belonged to a young woman who believed that Braithwaite drove her sister to suicide. In her effort to prove his unethical methods, the woman creates an alter ego for herself, who she names Rebecca Smyth, and becomes a patient of Braithwaite.

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

Rebecca’s psychotherapy sessions are described in parallel with the woman’s ‘real’ life, which is conservative and strictly controlled by her father. Within a short time, the imaginary life of Rebecca is far more attractive than her actual staid existence, and she inhabits the persona outside of the therapy room, with some interesting consequences that highlight themes of desire, ego and expectations.

Although Braithwaite is not aware of the ruse, he recognises Rebecca is not being entirely forthcoming.

You can be sure that every client that has ever walked into a therapist’s office has already mentally played out the scene a hundred times, and the idea of leaving without having touched on the very thing that has brought them there is unthinkable.

The story moves back and forth between the woman’s therapy sessions, and the history of Braithwaite’s career. The book is predominantly set in London in the 1960s, but also refers to Braithwaite’s time at university, and his relationship with contemporaries such as R.D. Laing and Robert Linder.

As a therapist, you are thanked for saying things that would earn a guy in a bar a punch on the jaw.

That I struggled to identify what was fact and what was fiction in Case Study is testament to Burnet’s skill and I think allowing myself to overthink (i.e. Google) every detail added to the fun. There’s no real smoke and mirrors on Burnet’s part – he states from the outset his doubts about the authenticity of the notebooks; he describes Braithwaite’s unorthodox opinions; and the notebooks themselves demonstrate Rebecca’s increasingly erratic behaviour. Who to trust? The answer is that you’re safe in the hands of Burnet, a marvelous storyteller.

I received my copy of Case Study from the publisher, Text Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 Clever.

My reward was a bowl of blancmange with tinned mandarins. Blancmange is a favourite dish of mine. It requires no effort of mastication. I like to hold a spoonful on my tongue, before letting it slip down my throat, imagining it to be a little ship sliding from its mooring into the open sea.