The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg

I was quite confused when reading this because (besides the baffling passages of Scots) I couldn't tell where the humour ended and the horror began. Some of the story is told in a skeptical, satirical voice, which turns a mocking eye on domestic abuse, riots, politics and murder. The frequent commentary of the servants and lower classes, full of adages and clever backchat, provides a sort of satirical common sense that is set against the earnestness and self-conceit of the upper class characters. Robert's conviction that his pal Satan is actually Czar Peter of Russia is ludicrous and keeps recurring again and again, so that it's impossible to take anything Robert is saying seriously. However, many parts of Gothic and terrifying, such as many of the things Satan says and does, and the descriptions of his voice and face. I found many parts tiresome, especially the religious debates that I do not understand (besides the very basics, I couldn't understand the finer points) and I found many of the descriptions sort of dull. I think the thing I liked best about this book was the sense of uncertainty, because all the information presented is passed through many hands before it reaches the reader, nothing can be relied upon. We never know if Satan is actually there, if he switches bodies with Robert or becomes his double, why he assumes the shape of Robert's murdered brother, or what exactly finally pushed Robert to suicide.