Murmur

The book opens with a young man, nicknamed Murmur, wandering through Mattotti landscapes. He encounters some odd characters, starting with playful brothers Hans and Fritz (nodding to an early newspaper strip), then a wizened fisherman casting spells to summon the self-explanatory Stagfish. A beguiling beauty in red – is the unlikely wife of the fisherman. Murmur lingers, unwelcome, in a remote mansion (pictured) occupied by the couple. A backstory slowly emerges of Murmur injured in a toxic accident. He’s traumatised, so triggering his return to the, still near-abandoned location, seeking closure. This pays off in an oblique but satisfying ending, though the intrusive narration makes the journey to that point a painful one.
--- Graham Johnstone