Broken Lives By Eric Edgar Cooke

The execution of Eric Edgar Cooke will never equate to the lives that were destroyed by his brutality. The genre of crime has been challenged within the biographical novel, Broken Lives, written by Estelle Blackburn. This text revolves around the crimes of Eric Edgar Cooke and the wrongful incarceration of John Button and Darryl Beamish. Within the text, the crime genre has been challenged due to the portrayal of the legal system, as the police and legal system are not idolised within the text. This was conveyed through the use of expository conventions, such as emotive language and selection of detail. The genre of crime has also been challenged by the texts inclusion of all aspects of Eric Edgar Cooke’s life, as his past and character development

This can be shown by the quote, “Life was worthless without her” (Page 232). This is John Button’s reaction to being told that his girlfriend, Rosemary, had been murdered. This challenges the genre as it displays how the convicted murderer, Button, reacts to finding out Rosemary is dead, as he is surprised and emotionally distraught. Due to Button’s reaction he is considered to be a protagonist; innocent, merely the grieving lover. This is considered to be a challenge to the crime genre, as the protagonist is found guilty of the crime, despite his archetype. This causes me to automatically presume Button’s innocence, due to his reaction and thus cause me to feel empathy towards him. I feel empathy towards Button, as due to my research of the topic, I know that this is only the beginning of Button’s suffering. The genre of crime is also challenged through the use of the convention of selection of detail. This is shown by the quote, “Deering did not believe the statement […] he believed John was the driver […]” (Page 229). This quote is in reference to Detective Deering; the man who arrested Button and also

Cooke’s dark past is portrayed in Broken Lives through the convention of background information. This can be seen within the quote, “Domestic violence was a way of life in the Cooke home.” (Page 20). This quote shows that the genre of crime is being challenged as it portrays the creation of a murderer. It displays the past of Cooke, as it shows that he had a violent father, which can be considered a cause of Cooke’s murderous intentions. This challenges the notion that people are born evil and indicated that they are rather created by circumstance. Blackburn included this information to ensure that the readers understand all aspects of Cooke; this does not excuse his actions but rather explains their causation. This caused me to respond to Cooke and the text in an empathetic manner, as I felt sorrow for the actions that Cooke had been subjected to as a child and how it affected his psyche. I also felt empathetic towards the author, as Blackburn needed to delve into the psyche of Cooke; in order to create such a detailed recollection of events. The genre of crime is also challenged in, Broken Lives, due to its inclusion of the different personae of Cooke. In this text, both his family man and murderer persona are portrayed, which can be shown