Three of Australia's most celebrated writers have collaborated on a groundbreaking new book exploring one of the country's most baffling criminal cases - the Erin Patterson mushroom murders that captivated global audiences.
The Ethical Dilemma of Reporting on Tragedy
Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein, authors of The Mushroom Tapes, admit they faced profound ethical conflicts while covering the sensational ten-week trial. "None of us wants to write about this. And none of us wants to not write about it," they confess in their newly published work.
Four months after Patterson's guilty verdict for poisoning four members of her estranged husband's family with death cap mushrooms, the acclaimed writers continue to grapple with the case's unsettling ambiguities. While global media devoured every sensational detail - from the "flamboyantly retro" beef wellington to the elusive food dehydrator and fabricated illnesses - these three authors approached with more measured curiosity.
Unconventional Approach to True Crime
The book's unique structure emerged from the logistical and ethical complexities of covering the trial. Rather than presenting a traditional narrative, The Mushroom Tapes consists primarily of edited transcripts from recorded conversations and emails exchanged between the three writers during their coverage.
Their final 50,000-word publication represents a heavily edited version of a staggering 265,000 words of raw conversation. The authors maintained strict authenticity by avoiding excessive polishing of their spontaneous discussions. "There was a rule that was stringently enforced, about not putting too much lipstick on things that were said spontaneously," Krasnostein explains.
The project began as something resembling a literary feminist road movie, complete with dark humour and absurd observations during their two-and-a-half hour drives from Melbourne to Morwell. Garner, riding in the "nanna position" in the car, found herself making delightfully incongruous observations about banksia bushes and cattle breeds even during tense moments.
Searching for Motive in the Mundane
The writers initially entertained the possibility that Patterson might be experiencing a great injustice, that circumstances might be more complex than they appeared. However, as the trial progressed, they confronted what philosopher Hannah Arendt famously termed "the banality of evil."
Hooper concludes that Patterson's decision to poison her in-laws wasn't driven by grand passion, financial motive or clear revenge, but rather by the friction of ordinary life and self-absorbed indifference - a concept far more difficult to comprehend than outright malice.
The feminist perspectives of all three writers frequently surfaced during their discussions, particularly given the case's elements of poisoned food, forest foraging and what Hooper describes as its inherent "witchiness." They explored how the media portrays women who kill and the frustrations of intelligent women relegated to homemaker roles.
The Enduring Mystery of Erin Patterson
Despite their extensive immersion in the case, Garner admits Patterson remains an enigma. "There's something about her that remains mysterious to me, and I think that will always be the case," she confesses.
Unlike other murder cases she's covered where she could identify some understanding of the perpetrator's motivations, Garner found Patterson impenetrable. "I never reached that point with her and I don't think I ever will," she states.
As the trial stretched beyond its predicted five weeks, the writers faced the grim possibility of a hung jury or even a not-guilty verdict, given the predominantly circumstantial evidence. Garner experienced moments of panic at the thought of enduring a retrial - a concern that has since materialised with Patterson now appealing her convictions while maintaining her innocence.
The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper publishes in Australia on 11 November through Text Publishing (£36.99) and will reach UK readers on 20 November via W&N (£20).
