Bunny Munro is a door-to-door sales agent who flirts (and conquers) anything that moves. He sells cosmetic products without realizing that he’s also spreading ugliness. His wife commits suicide at the beginning of the book, mainly because of him, and he is left with his nine-year-old son, who adores him for an inexplicable reason. A child he neglects systematically.
In general, Bunny Munro is quite a repulsive guy.
I’m not sure I would have bothered with this book if it weren’t for the child. The charming child with sunglasses who reads his encyclopedia all day and searches for his deceased mother among the people on the street – Bunny Junior is almost the perfect opposite of his sick father. He is polite, quiet, and most importantly, he is as heart-touching as his father is disgusting.
Already in the first chapter (and in the book’s title), we are given the promise that Bunny Munro will die. Most of the time, I hoped it would happen soon, but as I kept reading, there were passages where I even felt a little sorry for him.
Nick Cave writes books the way he writes songs. Dark, gloomy, and edgy. There are moments when it feels like he’s trying to stretch the boundaries and see how far he can take you. It doesn’t always work. There are times during the book when surrealism overwhelms reality, and you’re not always sure what’s happening and what’s not.
Overall, it’s a good book, although strange and unclear sometimes.
And in a slightly more appropriate approach to the book: Three and a half samples of anti-aging cream.
The Death of Bunny Munro / Nick Cave / Faber and Faber
