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Kim
Rating:
Review
I have read just about everything else that Mr. Capote has written before picking up this true story of the Clutter family, and their killers. In November 1959, Dick Hickcock and Perry Smith, two ex-cons looking for “the perfect score” invade the home of Herb and Bonnie Clutter, with their children Nancy and Kenyon in Holcomb, Kansas, intending to rob and then kill the family of four. They did both, and almost got away with their crimes. And since they didn’t, both killers, along with countless policemen, detectives, friends and residents of the small Kansas town spoke openly and candidly with Mr. Capote for what turns out to be the book he is best known for, and for good reason. It reads like a novel, so the story doesn’t bog down or become boring at any time. Although this isn’t my favorite Capote book, I still love his writing, and if you hesitate because this is a true crime story, not to worry; while the story is plenty descriptive, it was written in the 1960s, when books were often less graphic, and more censored, than books nowadays.
Best Line:
“It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize.”
Suzanne
Rating:
Review
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but in this case it’s not nearly as compelling. In his only book of nonfiction, Capote writes about the chilling 1959 murder of four members of the Clutter family in Kansas. He describes each family member and their life meticulously, down to every last known bit of minutiae, and makes vivid the transient lives of the two perpetrators, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, as well. He chronicles Perry’s experiences in particular, from his early childhood right on through the culmination of his death sentence on the gallows, illuminating his estrangement from society and his lack of connection to other people. Everything, so it would seem, except for Capote’s own interviews and conversations with Perry. The language flows beautifully from Capote’s pen, and is undoubtedly why he’s received so much acclaim for his writings. Unfortunately, beautiful descriptions by themselves don’t make a gripping story, so it was a slow read. I longed for more of a plot.
Best Line:
“Those prairiebillys, they’ll vote to hang fast as pigs eat slop. Look at their eyes. I’ll be damned if I’m the only killer in the courtroom.” (pg. 289)
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