The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A Justified Sinner

Book Name : The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A Justified Sinner
Author : James Hogg

What is it about : The story centered on a committed clergyman being led astray by A Being from the "Dark Side" and eventually becoming an outcast from his community and found solace and peace only through taking his own life; even this last act of trying to come to terms with his crimes and hopeful redemption were shrouded in dubious circumstances - hung by a rope made of loose hay (straws). The clergyman's life was on a slippery slope the moment his jealousy, mis-understanding of religious teachings and greed were noticed and exploited by The Being in ever-changing human forms and through coercing, chiding and misleading, the clergyman embarked on a series of murders and blunders which led him into a cul-de-sac of Life to the point of no-return.

Some thoughts after having read the book : This book had to be the first in the genre (written circa 1,800 A.D.) of :  the ignorant, the innocent and the weak-willed being tempted, exploited and having been rewarded with the riches, power, status, revenge and vanity which he so craved, was finally meeting his inevitable downfall and sunk into oblivion. Having parallel thoughts in mind, I found that this alarming story had numerous versions, and the first which came to mind was strangely enough, The Little Shop Of Horrors - an evil plant from outer space tempted and half-push-shoved Seymour, "the ignorant, the innocent and the weak-willed" as I had just mentioned above, into committing murder and disgraced himself and finally met his nasty end.

Would I recommend this book to you : Barring some of the dialogues written in Scottish-accented English and local slang being difficult to de-cipher, the book was very readable  and surprisingly, quite a page-turner. I would without a hint of doubt, recommend this book to readers of all persuasions and levels for a roaring good read. The structure of the book was actually very modern in that, the first part was a "Editor's Narrative" (the bystander if you like); the second part was the "Main Protagonist's Narrative" (the sinner and confessor's journal) and the last part returned to the "Editor's Narrative" for completion. This structure gave the story clarity by providing a high-level breakdown, of sort. A word of warning, the parts about digging up grave could be a bit spooky for the faint-hearted.