The Death of Benny Munro, a dark gothic tale about a sex addict blown off course by his wife's suicide, written between two songs by Nick Cave, here portrayed in his addict criminal look, plumbs the depths of madness, despair and zany fun and taps the source of Nick Cave's inspiration: the world of cast outs, criminals and brutes ravaged by alcohol and washed ashore in Australia brilliantly and soulfully depicted in his songs. Benny Munro is going mad, driving around Brighton with his nine year son. The novel builds up remorselessly to its catastrophic climax. For some reason I read it through in four days, leaving behind eighteen respectable tomes that I have started, all at different stages of progress
