LETTERS IN BLACK

IN COLD BLOOD

BY

TRUMAN CAPOTE

“Riders on the storm…” by The Doors

The above song does indeed form the apt tone of the book about which I am going to speak of in a while.

Anyone heard it? Brilliant man.

The year is 1959, the fateful town of Holcomb, somewhere deep in the States of America, not exactly the setting for a perfect crime.

I could now imagine the prosperous face of Herb Clutter walking through his farm thinking about how nearly perfect his life has been till now except for his hysterical wife who stayed upstairs. He would have been extremely thankful to his God, for being respected in the small town, for having the best daughter in the locality and lovable son; it was almost a perfect life.

Capote begins his greatest work on the same lines outlining the life of the Clutters in Holcomb and thus indirectly giving us a feel of 60’s America and her aspirations and lifestyle, reading through the reader ultimately becomes an invisible member of the Clutter household thus is the picture that Capote paints to pleasure and the method does come in handy later on as we become familiar with the town and its surrounding for example Hartman’s café. Personally for me I lived in Holcomb for the two or odd weeks that I took to finish the book, such is the greatness of Capote.

It is quite well known that Capote was directly involved in this true crime and his involvement in the case brought Holcomb big time publicity.

It happens one night as the members of the Clutter house are killed in the midst of gore and bullets in the most what can I say unnatural way, which brings the ghostly atmosphere to the town as the Kansas State Police begin their investigation into the death of Holcomb’s most famous son, clueless for weeks and finding no substantial evidence and considerable motive they decide to follow a stray lead by prisoner Floyd Wells. Which ultimately leads them to two of the most complex characters to have lived on this planet Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, believe me all this happened and Capote ended up inventing a new genre called non fiction novel.

What proceeds is the rest of the story as I will never forgive myself if write more, In cold Blood will definitely be on my lists like “Books you should read before your deathbed” and “Books which do deserve a place in your house” but this book will never turn up in “Books which you should suggest your girlfriend to have a peek” unless you want a nasty break-up. Read it you will come to admire the pains, the language and the simple genius of Truman Capote.

Satyeki