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Butades
'I live in a small town with frequent murders. Every now and again a voice comes on the phone.
–Butades.
A short time later, I'm on my hands and knees. I'm
alone. I insist upon a clear space in which to work. I look up at the sky as if waiting for a sign. A bird, a cloud, the slightest hint of a breeze. Then I fall to it.'
A series of murders break the dusty silence of a small rural town. Butades, the town's resident artist, is given the job of documenting the crime scenes. Without motive or suspect, and with the death count mounting, the Police Chief becomes unhinged, and events lead to a Kafkaesque impasse where no one remains free of suspicion.
–Butades.
A short time later, I'm on my hands and knees. I'm
alone. I insist upon a clear space in which to work. I look up at the sky as if waiting for a sign. A bird, a cloud, the slightest hint of a breeze. Then I fall to it.'
A series of murders break the dusty silence of a small rural town. Butades, the town's resident artist, is given the job of documenting the crime scenes. Without motive or suspect, and with the death count mounting, the Police Chief becomes unhinged, and events lead to a Kafkaesque impasse where no one remains free of suspicion.
224 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2017
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 17, 2019
I found this book in the clearance table of my local library (Porirua). It's an astonishing little book by an anonymous NZ author.
The title relates to the story of Butades, an ancient Greek whose daughter drew an outline of youth she loved on a wall. Butades completes the outline by shaping the face in clay. This story, then, has many references to that story, however for me, many of the references are obscure. Her first name Diotima means 'beloved of Zeus" and is the name of a female philosopher who taught Socrates the meaning of love.
It's an intricate story with many beautiful lyrical pieces, especially where the 'author' visits the desert. It's a mystery, a love story, a whodunnit, a story of a small town and a philosophical essay.
I will read this again, in order to find the references to the original stories and to unravel the answer to this whodunnit.
The title relates to the story of Butades, an ancient Greek whose daughter drew an outline of youth she loved on a wall. Butades completes the outline by shaping the face in clay. This story, then, has many references to that story, however for me, many of the references are obscure. Her first name Diotima means 'beloved of Zeus" and is the name of a female philosopher who taught Socrates the meaning of love.
It's an intricate story with many beautiful lyrical pieces, especially where the 'author' visits the desert. It's a mystery, a love story, a whodunnit, a story of a small town and a philosophical essay.
I will read this again, in order to find the references to the original stories and to unravel the answer to this whodunnit.
Displaying 1 of 1 review