Something Shiny

I have to say this one surprised me. The Death of Bunny Murno started out thoroughly messed up as one would expect from the mind of Nick Cave. While the story progressed, I can’t say it was any less messed up, but somehow the caricature characters managed to become incredibly human. Bunny should have been a completely irredeemable soul, but by the end… well ya kinda have to feel for the guy.

If your a fan of Mr. Cave, I’d say this is worth a read. If you not, and particularly if you’re easily offended, you may want to think twice.

Read on for the synopsis

From Publishers Weekly

The protagonist of Cave’s pleasantly demented second novel, set in England, is living out a porno: door-to-door lotion salesman Bunny Munro spends his days seducing invariably attractive women, servicing both their sexual and moisturizing needs. His wife’s suicide, though, threatens to derail Bunny’s amorous adventures, as he can’t shake the feeling that he might somehow be responsible. Another new obstacle is the need to look after his nine-year-old son, Bunny Jr. In an effort to escape the creepiness of the apartment he shared with his wife, Bunny takes his son on the road, teaching him the ropes of salesmanship. Meanwhile, a man in red face paint and plastic devil horns accosts women in northern England before a murderous turn sends him journeying south. Bunny’s deterioration from swaggering Lothario to sputtering pity case suggests he is carrying around more guilt than he cares to admit, and his obsessive behavior, while a bit of a stretch, allows for an interesting portrait of modern family dynamics. Cave’s bawdy humor, along with a gallows whimsy that will be familiar to fans of his music, elevate the novel from what might otherwise be a one-note adventure. (Sept.)
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Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting

“Put Cormac McCarthy, Franz Kafka and Benny Hill together in a Brighton seaside guesthouse and they might just come up with Bunny Munro. As it stands, though, this novel emerges emphatically as the work of one of the great cross-genre storytellers of our age: a compulsive read possessing all of Nick Cave’s trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp.”

Will Self, author of The Book of Dave

“[Nick Cave] stands as one of the great writers on love of our era.”

Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone

“Nick Cave will obviously live forever, just because the devil’s scared of him. Ever since he stomped out of the junkyard with the Birthday Party, Cave has walked tall in the role of Lucifer’s rock-and-roll boyfriend.”

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• Will Self in conversation with Nick Cave (will-self.com)
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