Joe Cinque's Consolation
Encyclopedia
Joe Cinque’s Consolation: A True Story of Death, Grief and the Law is a non-fiction
book written by Australia
n author
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 related to the death of Singh's boyfriend Joe Cinque and Garner's attempts to understand the responses to the crime.
. The most involved of the friends, Madhavi Rao, was acquitted of all charges.
. 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. As the trial progresses she becomes acquainted with Cinque's mother Maria and feels that the court system is not doing 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. She becomes interested in victim's rights
, 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 Joe Cinque's consolation, as the trial proceedings could not be.
One reviewer compared it with The First Stone
, noting that it was less about the underlying debates and more about the story. Another criticised similarities in their themes, particularly Garner's hostility to the women subjects and their beauty.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book written by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Helen Garner
Helen Garner
Helen Garner is an award-winning Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist.-Life:Garner was born in Geelong, Victoria, the eldest of six children. She attended Manifold Heights State School, Ocean Grove State School and then The Hermitage in Geelong...
, and published in 2004. It is an account of Garner's presence at the separate trials of Anu Singh
Anu Singh
Anu Singh is an Australian of Indian descent who, in 1997, while a law student at the Australian National University, murdered her boyfriend, Joe Cinque. She laced his coffee with Rohypnol, then injected him with heroin. The crime was very widely reported in Australia...
and her friend Madhavi Rao related to the death of Singh's boyfriend Joe Cinque and Garner's attempts to understand the responses to the crime.
Joe Cinque's death
Anu Singh killed Joe Cinque on 26 October 1997 with a lethal dose of heroin. 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. She was subsequently found guilty of his manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. The most involved of the friends, Madhavi Rao, was acquitted of all charges.
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 begins attending hearings in CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. 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. As the trial progresses she becomes acquainted with Cinque's mother Maria and feels that the court system is not doing 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. She becomes interested in victim's rights
Victims' rights group
A victims' rights group is a type of advocacy group which advocates or lobbies for legal, social or political change on behalf of victims of serious crime or injustice. Members of such groups often include family members or friends of such victims....
, 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 Joe Cinque's consolation, as the trial proceedings could not be.
Critical response
Joe Cinque's Consolation was reviewed in a number of major newspapers and magazines. It was praised for its 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 systemOne reviewer compared it with The First Stone
The First Stone
The First Stone: Some questions about sex and power by Helen Garner is a highly controversial non-fiction book about a 1992 sexual harassment scandal at Ormond College, one of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne...
, noting that it was less about the underlying debates and more about the story. Another criticised similarities in their themes, particularly Garner's hostility to the women subjects and their beauty.
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 AwardsNed Kelly AwardsThe Ned Kelly Awards are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres...
(The Crime Writers Association of Australia), Best True Crime - Finalist and highly commended, 2005 Walkley AwardsWalkley AwardsThe annual Walkley Awards, under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism, are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. Finalists are chosen by an independent board of eminent journalists and photographers. The awards cover all media including...
, Non-fiction book - Shortlisted, 2005 NSW Premier's Literary AwardsNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
, Douglas Stewart Prize for non-fiction - Shortlisted, 2005 Victorian Premier's Literary AwardVictorian Premier's Literary AwardThe Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Governmentwith the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry....
, The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction - Shortlisted, 2006 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, non-fiction