Country: USA
Genre: Non-Fiction Novel/True Crime
Pages: 343
My purchase of In Cold Blood is a prime example of why I love book shopping. I was roaming in Ste-Catherine's Street Indigo Book Store with the idea of buying one last vacation read (the kind of vacation read you buy in case you finish the others). I had the vague idea of buying something useful for the second draft of Solace I'm writing so I crouched in the "C's" to take a look at the Raymond Carver anthologies. Before I could make it to Car-, BAM! In Cold Blood was there. A book that seemed pertinent at this exact time. A literary shopping epiphany. Carver would have to wait.
Truman Capote's magnum opus is the true account of the hideous murders of the Clutter family in the small city of Holcomb, Kansas by two men, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Part of Capote's book magic appeal is that everybody that starts the book knows how it's going to end. Yet, there is this visceral appeal to read the recollections of an elite writer's confrontation with real life horror. More than a straightforward recollection of the facts, it's the downward spiral of an entire town that is described and felt. From the easy going days where the Clutters were still alive to the city-wide reaction to Smith and Hickock's executions, In Cold Blood stays faithful to its subtitle: A True Account Of Multiple Murder And Its Consequences.
The reason why factual report of nameless horror stand out from what you can find in newspaper lies in the writing technique of Truman Capote. Halfway in between literary and journalistic, he mastered the way of making the events talk. Mixing short, vivid and accurate description with lengthy protagonists statements, achieved a way of leaving himself completely out of the portrait he drew. As a writer, I can only admire the selflessness and the empathy necessary to not pass judgement on anything and let the humanity of people resonate so loud. For pages and pages, Capote lets the characters talk and shape their image to the reader. He figures they know more about the case that he does and acts as a simple ear for their woes.
Everybody in that novel (non-fiction novel) are so human and complex, they almost jump out of the pages. The victims, the killers, the living, the dead...it's no good vs evil scheme or anything like that. It's an elaborate human drama on a gigantic scale. I think the point Capote tried to prove with this book was that once something drastic like murder is committed, it's impossible for anybody to win anything. From the murderers, who win money, but lose life and soul to the retributed execution witnesses, who're are left with the cruel reality: Maybe they are dead, but nothing will ever be the same. They ruined everything. In that sense, they got away with it.
I liked In Cold Blood so much I would make it a mandatory reading for any crime writer and for most writers period. It's a study of character building and a realistic approach to a complex situation (plot) that can teach you more about writing that most things you'll be in help books (I should know I read quite a few of them). It's by far my favorite read of the year (sorry Norman Mailer) and it's ranking quite high in my all-time list (maybe top 15). It's a moving drama because it gives every protagonist the time and attention it deserves and it's an engrossing crime story because Capote's approach is so thorough and attentive that you are given a clear picture of the shockwave something like murder can create. Enlightening. I could recommend this book to any reader, serious or trivial.
