Sleep of Reason
Christopher Owens reviews an updated The Sleep of Reason by James Smith.
True crime books often suffer from adopting a salacious, morally duplicitous angle that can often implicate the reader in the most unsubtle manner, laced with double standards.
And it's not just books. Take any article by Jim McDowell or Paul Williams. Both present themselves as shining lights in the fight against crime and all that is wrong in society. Yet the two of them revel in sordid details, printing lurid pictures all while pretending to be horrified about what they're reporting. It's the oldest form of hypocrisy.
First published in 1994, The Sleep of Reason remains the definitive reading of the murder of James Bulger. Covering the trial of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, as well as speaking to various officers, teachers and the families of the victim and murderers, the book is written in a direct, almost monotone, style with little to no room for dialogue.
There's a reason for this: the bare truth is much more horrifying than any speculation. The description of that day, from Venables and Thompson deciding to "get a child lost", through to taking Bulger through the shopping centre and to the railroad track where he would die places the reader into (what David Ervine used to call) "the hamster wheel from hell", because the reader knows the outcome and each tale of a witness reporting a sighting or speaking to the boys delays the inevitable.
When the inevitable does happen on a train track, it brings a tear to even the most hardened reader. The image of two year old James Bulger, crying because of having paint thrown at him as well as bricks and a railway fishplate, is not one that can be easily forgotten. The indignity of having his trousers removed, foreskin pulled back and his torso being cut in half by an oncoming train was too much for me, and I had to put the book down for two days.
Examining the interrogation notes for both Venables and Thompson, the reader is never certain who to believe. At the time, the general perception was that Thompson was the ringleader, and Venables the gullible accomplice. Smith demolishes this view, by pointing out it was Venables who had suggested "getting a child lost" and he was the visibly pro-active one when dealing with Bulger (the infamous CCTV shot shows Venables holding Bulger's hand) and the public (several witnesses came forward to say they had approached the three of them, but Venables had brushed them off with claims about the three of them being brothers).
It's obvious from the notes that Thompson was a lot more controlled than Venables. He denied everything, but began to crack when under pressure. But even then, he only gave little bits here and there. Despite his footprint being found on Bulger's body, he does not admit taking part in the murder and passes all the blame onto Venables (portrayed as an emotional wreck), who returns the favour with more of the same.
Here, Smith begins to examine the home life of both boys. Although his claim about Venables coming from a broken home doesn't quite wash with the reader (his parents separated when he was young, and his two siblings had learning difficulties), it fits Thompson (a battered alcoholic mother, an absent father, bullying siblings and an unproven allegation of sexual abuse). Both kept back a year in school, both bullied and bullies. It's easy to see how the cycle of abuse and neglect would lead the two of them in front of a judge one day.
But what Smith also argues is that the boys did not set out that day with the intention to kill. Because, after all, why would you walk down a main street and allow yourself to talk to so many? His theory is that they really did just intend for Bulger to be "lost" (a malicious move on it's own) but that, as time went on, they became tired and at a loose end over what to do with him.
Tragically, they had to walk past a police station to reach the spot where James would die. Had they decided, Smith asks, at that point that he would die? If not, why not just walk in and leave him at the front desk? The boys never answered that and, Smith suspects, they never will.
For this revised edition, a new chapter, dealing with Venables' return to prison for possessing child pornography, has been added. Smith has written an excellent article about this aspect, and he incorporate the bulk of this material into the new chapter, as well as focusing on the effect it has had on the parents of the killers (Ann Thompson is depicted as wanting to tell off Denise Bulger, now Fergus, for not having reins on James at the time) and allegations that Venables and Thompson had been sexually abused in the past.
It's to Smith's commendation that he takes this highly emotive event and analyses it with a detached, clinical perspective which furthers his belief that the three children are victims, not just James Bulger. Although he certainly makes a compelling case for this, some readers may not be inclined to take this view, and it's not difficult to understand why.
Highly recommended, but approach with caution.
David James Smith, 2017, The Sleep of Reason: The James Bulger Case Faber & Faber ISBN-13: 978-0571340569.
Christopher Owens reviews for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland.
Follow Christopher Owens on Twitter @MrOwens212
True crime books often suffer from adopting a salacious, morally duplicitous angle that can often implicate the reader in the most unsubtle manner, laced with double standards.
And it's not just books. Take any article by Jim McDowell or Paul Williams. Both present themselves as shining lights in the fight against crime and all that is wrong in society. Yet the two of them revel in sordid details, printing lurid pictures all while pretending to be horrified about what they're reporting. It's the oldest form of hypocrisy.
First published in 1994, The Sleep of Reason remains the definitive reading of the murder of James Bulger. Covering the trial of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, as well as speaking to various officers, teachers and the families of the victim and murderers, the book is written in a direct, almost monotone, style with little to no room for dialogue.
There's a reason for this: the bare truth is much more horrifying than any speculation. The description of that day, from Venables and Thompson deciding to "get a child lost", through to taking Bulger through the shopping centre and to the railroad track where he would die places the reader into (what David Ervine used to call) "the hamster wheel from hell", because the reader knows the outcome and each tale of a witness reporting a sighting or speaking to the boys delays the inevitable.
When the inevitable does happen on a train track, it brings a tear to even the most hardened reader. The image of two year old James Bulger, crying because of having paint thrown at him as well as bricks and a railway fishplate, is not one that can be easily forgotten. The indignity of having his trousers removed, foreskin pulled back and his torso being cut in half by an oncoming train was too much for me, and I had to put the book down for two days.
Examining the interrogation notes for both Venables and Thompson, the reader is never certain who to believe. At the time, the general perception was that Thompson was the ringleader, and Venables the gullible accomplice. Smith demolishes this view, by pointing out it was Venables who had suggested "getting a child lost" and he was the visibly pro-active one when dealing with Bulger (the infamous CCTV shot shows Venables holding Bulger's hand) and the public (several witnesses came forward to say they had approached the three of them, but Venables had brushed them off with claims about the three of them being brothers).
It's obvious from the notes that Thompson was a lot more controlled than Venables. He denied everything, but began to crack when under pressure. But even then, he only gave little bits here and there. Despite his footprint being found on Bulger's body, he does not admit taking part in the murder and passes all the blame onto Venables (portrayed as an emotional wreck), who returns the favour with more of the same.
Here, Smith begins to examine the home life of both boys. Although his claim about Venables coming from a broken home doesn't quite wash with the reader (his parents separated when he was young, and his two siblings had learning difficulties), it fits Thompson (a battered alcoholic mother, an absent father, bullying siblings and an unproven allegation of sexual abuse). Both kept back a year in school, both bullied and bullies. It's easy to see how the cycle of abuse and neglect would lead the two of them in front of a judge one day.
But what Smith also argues is that the boys did not set out that day with the intention to kill. Because, after all, why would you walk down a main street and allow yourself to talk to so many? His theory is that they really did just intend for Bulger to be "lost" (a malicious move on it's own) but that, as time went on, they became tired and at a loose end over what to do with him.
Tragically, they had to walk past a police station to reach the spot where James would die. Had they decided, Smith asks, at that point that he would die? If not, why not just walk in and leave him at the front desk? The boys never answered that and, Smith suspects, they never will.
For this revised edition, a new chapter, dealing with Venables' return to prison for possessing child pornography, has been added. Smith has written an excellent article about this aspect, and he incorporate the bulk of this material into the new chapter, as well as focusing on the effect it has had on the parents of the killers (Ann Thompson is depicted as wanting to tell off Denise Bulger, now Fergus, for not having reins on James at the time) and allegations that Venables and Thompson had been sexually abused in the past.
It's to Smith's commendation that he takes this highly emotive event and analyses it with a detached, clinical perspective which furthers his belief that the three children are victims, not just James Bulger. Although he certainly makes a compelling case for this, some readers may not be inclined to take this view, and it's not difficult to understand why.
Highly recommended, but approach with caution.
David James Smith, 2017, The Sleep of Reason: The James Bulger Case Faber & Faber ISBN-13: 978-0571340569.
Christopher Owens reviews for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland.
Follow Christopher Owens on Twitter @MrOwens212
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