Original Publication Year: 1965
Genre(s): Non-fiction(ish?), True Crime
Series: NA
Awards: Edgar
Award for Best Fact Crime
Format: Audio (CDs from Library)
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Yep, it’s time to talk about this one. My feelings about this book are partially
influenced by the fact that I had to put it aside briefly. My listening to it coincided with a lengthy
stay, on my own, in the middle of nowhere.
Considering the subject matter of this non-fiction book, which is the
senseless murder of a farm family in the middle of nowhere Kansas, it
interfered with my calm and enjoyment of my solitude. So be aware, it is a book that can spook you
out.
I should also warn of spoilers in the following
discussion/review. I knew nothing of the
crime described in the book and I think approaching it in ignorance was a good way to experience
it. However I can’t adequately speak
about the book without revealing some details of the crime so if you’d like to
approach the book completely ignorantly, skip the review.
My initial impressions of the book were how odd its style
was. It oftentimes reads more like
fiction than non-fiction and the tone at the start and frequently throughout
the book seemed light-hearted. Minute
details are described and/or imagined of the victims on their last day, the
interactions and conversations they had, their position in society and even how
they perceived themselves and felt about their lives. Much of it must be research-based speculation
on Capote’s part. His hybrid writing style was wholly unique in my
reading experience.
The first quarter of the book focuses on the Clutter family
and the small community of Holcomb, KS of which they are members. It discusses the discovery of their bodies
and the initial stages of the seemingly motiveless crime – nothing was stolen
and the family was well liked in the community. The
recounting is interrupted by some brief visits to two recently released prisoners
who have reunited in Kansas City, over 400 miles from Holcomb. At first these interludes are puzzling – who
are these men and what do they have to do with the Clutters. It will not be long however before the
reader’s acquaintance with these men becomes all too intimate.
Capote chooses to structure things by first giving the
barest sketch of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, who seem to have no connection
to the Clutter family at all, revealing
only that they have committed these murders but not why or how. He then begins again and takes the reader through every detail of the investigation, the murderer’s
eventual capture, trial and execution.
Capote delves deeply into the character of the two men, particularly
Perry which he seems to feel an affinity with, despite the fact that Perry was admittedly the trigger man. They are an
incredibly disturbing pair. Their motive
for the murder was robbery but when it turns that there was in fact nothing to
steal, they seemed to have almost tripped into murder. It was, in fact, a senseless crime.
By the end of the book the reader not only knows every
detail of the case but has been given an intimate portrait of all those
involved. Everything is told in this
story-like style that seems to teeter between fiction and non-fiction. Capote definitely spins out the dramatic
portions of the story just as any mystery or crime fiction writer would. I doubt it is possible to finish the book
having felt nothing.
I don’t know enough about the history of narrative or True
Crime fiction but the book has a feel of being revolutionary, combining
sensationalist journalism, with hard reporting and a little bit of
imagination. It felt like a very unique
beast to me.
Final Verdict: If you
like true crime, I think this is must read.
I found it interesting and disturbing in equal measure, uniquely written
and spectacularly well researched. 4 out 5 Stars - ✯✯✯✯
This book is on my 100 Books Project List. I'm doing well so far in 2014!
Also part of the Eclectic Reader Challenge fulfilling the True Crime category.
No comments:
Post a Comment