The Death of Bunny Munro, by Nick Cave

Yes, that Nick Cave, musician extraordinaire. This isn’t his first foray into fiction – he scripted a well-received film, the Australian Western (or bushman flick) The Proposition some years back, and wrote his first book some twenty years ago now. This second novel is actually quite good too – sickening, isn’t it? The Death of Bunny Munro follows womanising travelling salesman Bunny, as he slowly breaks down after his wife’s suicide. He packs his son, Bunny Jr, into the car and over-zealously drags him on his rounds, trying to sell beauty products as his mind slips away. Bunny progressively erodes any sympathy we might have for him, and yet he’s somehow still fascinating. The book follows him through all kinds of squalor, which resembles early Martin Amis at times, in the best possible way. As the book progresses, Bunny’s sanity collapses, and it becomes harder to tell what he’s actually experiencing – it’s a convincing portrait of a breakdown. His son’s perspective gradually changes too, as he realizes just what’s happing to his father. A good read, if you can take it, and one that makes you wish Cave would write fiction more often. [David Agnew]