Joe Cinque's Consolation
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''Joe Cinque's Consolation: A True Story of Death, Grief and the Law'' is a
non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...
book written by Australian
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
Helen Garner, and published in 2004. It is an account of Garner's presence at the separate trials of Anu Singh and her friend Madhavi Rao, who were accused of murdering Singh's boyfriend Joe Cinque and Garner's attempts to understand the events that led to his death, as well as the legal and personal responses to the crime. The book was adapted into a 2016 film of the same name. ''Joe Cinque's Consolation'' explores themes of grief and
loss Loss may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Loss'' (Bass Communion album) (2006) * ''Loss'' (Mull Historical Society album) (2001) *"Loss", a song by God Is an Astronaut from their self-titled album (2008) * Losses "(Lil Tjay son ...
, culpability and criminal responsibility, duty of care, punishment and retribution,
personality psychology Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that examines personality and its variation among individuals. It aims to show how people are individually different due to psychological forces. Its areas of focus include: * construction of a c ...
(particularly narcissistic personality disorder and dependent personality disorder), social class in Australia, drug use, and other social problems. A national bestseller, the book has sold 100,000 copies.


Joe Cinque's death

Anu Singh, a law student at Canberra's
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...
, killed her boyfriend Joe Cinque on 26 October 1997 with a lethal dose of heroin, after she had laced his coffee with
Rohypnol Flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol among other names, is a benzodiazepine used to treat severe insomnia and assist with anesthesia. As with other hypnotics, flunitrazepam has been advised to be prescribed only for short-term use or by those ...
. A number of her friends and acquaintances had been informed of her intent to kill him and some were present at parties she held in which he was drugged; none of these friends alerted authorities or police. She was subsequently found guilty of his manslaughter. The most involved of the friends, Madhavi Rao, was acquitted of all charges. Rao moved abroad and adopted a new identity after the conclusion of the trials, while Singh was released from prison in 2001.


Summary

''Joe Cinque's Consolation'' begins with Garner being informed of Singh's second 1999 trial and its circumstances, when it was already in progress. She becomes interested and travels from her Sydney residence to attend the hearings in Canberra. She relates her impressions of the trial, including her negative reactions to Singh and her mystification at Rao's and others' lack of shock at and complicity in Singh's plans, which she determines to be a state of
apathy Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of intere ...
and abandonment of compassion. As the trial progresses she becomes acquainted with Cinque's mother Maria and feels that the court system is not distributing sufficient justice to the victim or his family. After the trial Garner interviews Singh's family and attempts to interview Singh and Rao, but both refuse or are uncontactable. Because of Singh's refusal to be interviewed or contacted, Garner bases most of her information about the woman from erstwhile friends, anecdotal evidence and court transcripts. Singh is portrayed as socially gifted and ambitious, but highly
narcissistic Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...
, with significant self-esteem issues. Additionally, Garner notes the accused kept diaries about her interactions with men as a teen in which she treated them as disposable commodities, wore high heels to high school, and according to anecdotal evidence from her former best friend, treated Cinque with an element of derision–sometimes mocking him and making jibes about what she thought was a lack of intellect and sophistication to her friends. Some of Singh's former friends thought her to be shallow, self-obsessed and desperate for male approval. As the book progresses, Garner becomes interested in
victim's rights Victims' rights are legal rights afforded to victims of crime. These may include the right to restitution, the right to a victims' advocate, the right not to be excluded from criminal justice proceedings, and the right to speak at criminal just ...
, interviews the presiding judge and repeatedly visits and becomes a friend of Cinque's family, and eventually concludes that the purpose of the book is to be consolation for Joe Cinque, as the trial proceedings could not be.


Themes

Garner uses the case to explore far-reaching themes of human behaviour, culpability and responsibility,
duty of care In tort law, a duty of care is a legal obligation that is imposed on an individual, requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others. It is the first element that must be establi ...
,
victims' rights Victims' rights are legal rights afforded to victims of crime. These may include the right to restitution, the right to a victims' advocate, the right not to be excluded from criminal justice proceedings, and the right to speak at criminal jus ...
and crime/punishment. She also touches on issues that range from the nature of human memory, including how it is not explicitly clear or cohesive, nor is it linear, and thus under cross-examination in a courtroom, any kind of lapse in memory, or contradiction of a preceding statement, may portray a person as a liar or an unworthy witness. Class and cultural clashes are drawn between the working class Italian-Australian family of the Cinques, compared to the "professional class" Indian-Australian family of the Singhs. This comparison starkly juxtaposes the
blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...
or
working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
Cinques (although Joe Cinque had a degree in engineering), from a working-class
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
suburb with the
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...
status of the Singhs, who lived in comfortable inner-west Sydney. Furthermore, the use of
psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...
in law, is alluded to various times. Garner questions whether a "psychological sophistication" that has developed in light of modern
behavioural science Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through naturalistic o ...
overrides the fact that some actions are plainly wrong and should be punishable, regardless of the
pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
of the person who commits them. She poses this question in reference to Anu Singh. Singh's defence team used her "abnormality of mind" (a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and psychotic depression was referenced in the court proceedings) as an explanation for her killing Cinque, akin to the insanity defense. Finally, Garner laments on the perfunctory decision that the Crown psychiatrist would not be given direct access to Singh, and her diagnosis would be made instead on the basis of transcripts and interviews with
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...
professionals in the past – Garner admits this "floored" her. Additionally, one reviewer writing for the ''Australian Book Review'' opined that it was Maria Cinque who called out the "flaky moral relativism" of the ANU students who were indifferent to Singh's plans, as well as the Canberra courts, the defence lawyers and the judge who handled the case. The complicity of the students, and whether or not they played a role in Cinque's death by not alerting authorities, was also a topic debated extensively throughout the text.


Critical response

''Joe Cinque's Consolation'' was reviewed in a number of major newspapers and magazines. It was praised for Garner's writing and its positioning as Joe Cinque's story. Criticisms of the book centered on it failing to tell the story it set out to tell, particularly its inability to explain Singh or her actions and her failure to engage with the purpose of the adversarial justice system. Some saw this as a deliberate attempt by Garner – to honour Cinque, whose family had been not been given a voice or adequate justice by the court. In his review for the '' Australian Book Review'', Peter Rose remarked that "books such as Joe Cinque’s Consolation often dignify the parents' agony and indignation. In Maria Cinque we have one of the great stalwarts in this literature of loss. She is always there in court – listening, occasionally hissing and weeping, raging when she must. 'They were keeping vigil,’ Garner says, marvelling at the Cinques' stamina. Which is what Garner becomes conscious of doing." He further commented on the book being Garner's conscious testament to the injustice dealt to Joe Cinque and his family: "For what are these books but tributes to the dead, swipes at our forgetfulness, minor consolations for the living: the parents and siblings and friends who feel devastated and betrayed? One thinks of all the unattested lives, the little murders". Elisabeth Hanscombe, writing for Academia, wrote that Garner's writing, and her depiction of Anu Singh, addressed the notion that for a layperson it "may perhaps be difficult to understand that someone can be extremely intelligent, can function well academically, be beautiful and at the same time be seriously disturbed". One reviewer compared it with ''
The First Stone ''The First Stone: Some questions about sex and power'' is a controversial non-fiction book by Helen Garner about a 1992 sexual harassment scandal at Ormond College, one of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne, which the aut ...
'' (1995), noting that it was less about the underlying debates and more about the story. Another,
Maryanne Dever Maryanne Dever is an Australian academic whose research focuses on feminist literary and archival studies. Education Dever completed a BA (Hons) at the University of Queensland in 1984, an MA (Hons), followed by a PhD, at the University of ...
(writing for the ''Australian Women's Book Review'') criticised similarities in the themes of both books, particularly Garner's perceived hostility to the women subjects and their physical appearance. The cover of the re-printed edition from 2006 contains a blurb extracted from a review in '' The Bulletin'', which reads: "A book which functions at one level as a psychological mystery, but at deeper levels is an exploration of the adequacy of the law to dispense justice, and the responsibility that human beings have to each other...It is told with compassion, a singular kind of honesty, and unadorned intelligence".


Media response

Both Singh herself and Cinque's parents gave interviews shortly after the book's release. Singh recounted her own memories of the killing and her feelings about it after her release and expressed regret at not agreeing to an interview by Garner. She told interviewers that she wished to redress some of the book's imbalance towards her. Maria Cinque said that she would never forgive Singh for killing her son and did not believe her defence against the murder charge. Garner also stated that she still did not understand or empathise with Singh, although some aspects of her behaviour resonated.


Awards and nominations

* Winner (tie), 2005
Ned Kelly Awards The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres. They were established in 1996 by the Crime Writers Association of Australia to rewar ...
(The Crime Writers Association of Australia), Best True Crime * Finalist and highly commended, 2005
Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...
, Non-fiction book * Shortlisted, 2005 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Douglas Stewart Prize for non-fiction * Shortlisted, 2005
Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...
, The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction * Shortlisted, 2006 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, non-fiction


Film adaptations

Twelve years after publication, the book was adapted into a 2016 film by writer/director Sotiris Dounoukos and Matt Rubinstein, and produced by Matt Reeder of Night Kitchen Productions. Principal photography ran for seven weeks in Canberra during April to June 2015.It's a wrap for Joe Cinque's Consolation
if.com.au, 15 June 2015, accessed 20 January 2016
There was a principal cast of around 40 main and supporting characters,Joe Cinque's Consolation
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
, accessed 20 January 2016
plus around 300 extras.Casting for 300 extras as Joe Cinque's Consolation starts filming in Canberra
Natasha Rudra, Canberra Times, 24 April 2015, accessed 20 January 2016


References

{{Helen Garner 2004 non-fiction books Non-fiction crime books Non-fiction novels Australian non-fiction books Books by Helen Garner Ned Kelly Award-winning works Non-fiction books adapted into films