The aphorism “don’t judge a book by its cover” does not imply that the cover is of no importance. In the case of Stephen Downes’ Mural you are treated to an elegant hardcover and superb jacket design. Adding to the visual pleasure, Downes has included a number of black and white illustrations from many different sources to complement the novel, something that few writers do (children’s books excepted). But of course, what is in between the covers is what matters most and the eager reader has another treat in store.
The story is presented by D who has been asked to record his thoughts. He does so in a stream-of-consciousness monologue from his place of incarceration, Swinstead House, following another ‘unfortunate offence. Vicious. Savage. Inexplicable?’ D reveals himself as a well-educated man with excellent recollection of his past actions and feelings. He demonstrates how normal in so many respects shockingly abnormal people can be. That should hardly come as a surprise – although it does – in spite of glaring examples such as the vegetarian, dog-loving Hitler.
D’s parents, he tells the reader, counselled him to have all his teeth removed – advice he reluctantly followed as a young man. He brooded about their extraction for years. Then one day on being asked by his parents to eat orange-coloured smoked cod, a food he loathed, he fetched his father’s axe, killed them and rang the police. ‘We lead many lives, Dr Reynolds,’ he says, ‘as I’m sure you are aware from your years with me. Sometimes we choose to live the wrong ones. Or something choses for us.’
D’s story does not focus on his crimes, though, but rather on his astute observation of people and events; among those who interest him are real people such as Norman Lindsay. Including actual people in a work of fiction such as this is not new, but brings to mind one of my pet peeves, which is announcing that a work of art is “based on a true story”. I know this relates to plot as well as people, but it implies superiority of fact over fiction.
Much ground is covered by D. He speculates that psychiatrists don’t cook, experiencing difficulty coming ‘to grips with the deaths of animals for consumption’. He goes on to offer a lengthy recipe – ‘five pages of tight lines’ – for a concoction he calls Royal Hare. Anyone interested in food will enjoy this recipe at least as much as Downes, a former well-respected restaurant critic.
On a more serious note, D mentions that he had failed to realise the damage done by religion, so he ‘bought a copy of Dr Sangster’s The Craft of the Sermon, a cunning manifesto of lopsided propaganda that might have been on Dr Goebbels’s bookshelves.’
Read: Book review: The Infant Vine, Isabella G Mead
So what is this novel really about? Certainly it explores, with insight and empathy, the mind of an intelligent psychopath. But it also is an opportunity to put before the reader a delightful smorgasbord of ideas, stories, opinions and anecdotes. These are so well told and so interesting that it is easy to forget how dangerous a psychopath can be.
Mural, Stephen Downes
Publisher: Transit Lounge
ISBN: 9781923023185
Format: Hardback
Pages: 208
Publication date: 1 September 2024
RRP: $32.99
