THE DEATH OF BUNNY MUNRO

When Munro's wife, Bunny, commits suicide, he continues his life as a traveling salesman, taking along his son. More accurately, while the father is engaging in vividly (and crudely) described sex with his clients, his son is sitting in the car reading an encyclopedia. While the soundtrack running through much of the narration may be of interest to fans of Cave's music, it adds little to the performance and at times is distracting. Nonetheless, Cave's narration captures the tones of a dissolute man who is losing his grip on reality. A subtle recognition of (but not necessarily regret for) a wasted life is always present in Cave's delivery. This undercurrent makes the character of Munro, and the melancholy of his deteriorating personality, sadly believable. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2009]