Truman Capote
I have long been skeptical of true crime, but this book may have single-handedly changed my mind about the genre, evoking a perfectly executed sense of mystery in a known historical situation and demonstrating the power of good writing and plotting in creating a compelling narrative. In Cold Blood follows the true story of a multiple homicide in rural Kansas in 1959; with the book being released in 1965, the public already had the means to discover the ending, which is given away by modern back copy. The appeal of In Cold Blood is not in discovering who committed the murders, but in tracing their steps, reconstructed realistically from their own words and admissions, and meticulously examining the psychological impact of the crimes on the people of tiny Holcomb, Kansas and on the murderers themselves. Capote possesses a brilliant, esoteric gift for evoking suspense; his language draws readers in immediately, spares no details, and makes one want to keep reading. This is no small achievement given that readers already know how the narrative ends; the quality of the suspense and characterization in this book are a testament to Capote's supreme talent and narrative eye. He knows just how to construct his story, knows just which details to reveal at just the right moments, to construct a narrative that rivals the best novels for its sheer appeal.
Despite the grisly subject matter, and the fact that Capote ultimately spares readers no details, much of the writing within the book is beautiful. Descriptions of rural Kansas and its changing weather patterns rank among some of the most evocative writing I have read and Capote's ability to explore the psychology of hunters and hunted achieves the impossible: readers get to know the murderers intimately and may actually come to feel for them. Capote possesses a keen awareness of the human psyche, and his characterizations are remarkable and, more importantly, easily believed. Throughout the book, Capote aims to depict the events as truthfully as possible, offering embellishments on embedded pieces of the historical record to weave his own observations and conclusions seamlessly in with related primary sources while resisting, for the most part, the trend of modern nonfiction authors to expound on tangentially related subjects at length, often to the detriment of the narrative. The few brief sojourns taken by Capote are relevant and build on the narrative without allowing readers to escape from it completely. In fact, the only time the book falls flat is toward the end where large blocks of testimony are reproduced without interruption or embellishment; the reader here longs for the rich prose of the chase, for the depth with which Capote probes the reaction of the event's major players. Though its final chapter may leave a bit to be desired, it is no wonder that In Cold Blood is upheld as the seminal work of true crime, one that transcends its genre and which is, throughout, a profound look at human nature and the psychology within us we may prefer to ignore.
Grade: A
Despite the grisly subject matter, and the fact that Capote ultimately spares readers no details, much of the writing within the book is beautiful. Descriptions of rural Kansas and its changing weather patterns rank among some of the most evocative writing I have read and Capote's ability to explore the psychology of hunters and hunted achieves the impossible: readers get to know the murderers intimately and may actually come to feel for them. Capote possesses a keen awareness of the human psyche, and his characterizations are remarkable and, more importantly, easily believed. Throughout the book, Capote aims to depict the events as truthfully as possible, offering embellishments on embedded pieces of the historical record to weave his own observations and conclusions seamlessly in with related primary sources while resisting, for the most part, the trend of modern nonfiction authors to expound on tangentially related subjects at length, often to the detriment of the narrative. The few brief sojourns taken by Capote are relevant and build on the narrative without allowing readers to escape from it completely. In fact, the only time the book falls flat is toward the end where large blocks of testimony are reproduced without interruption or embellishment; the reader here longs for the rich prose of the chase, for the depth with which Capote probes the reaction of the event's major players. Though its final chapter may leave a bit to be desired, it is no wonder that In Cold Blood is upheld as the seminal work of true crime, one that transcends its genre and which is, throughout, a profound look at human nature and the psychology within us we may prefer to ignore.
Grade: A
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