Book+13+-+In+Cold+Blood


 * Discussion Dates:** Friday 14th March to Friday 28th March



Lucy: I would give it a 9. I thought it was very well written and I was engrossed from the start.
 * 1. What would you rate this book out of 10? Why? **

Mel: 8/10. I too was engrossed. I LOVE the 'crime reporting' of Helen Gardner in 'Joe Chinque's Consolation' and 'The First Stone', and I know that she has been influenced by Capote so it was great to finally get around to reading In Cold Blood (thanks Lynna for nominating it). I have done some further reading about the book and especially the (maybe inappropriate) hero like status given to Police Investigator Alvin Dewey, in exchange for classified information about the defendants and the trial which is stopping me from giving it more than an 8.

Sharyn: 8/10. I loved the 'feel' of the book - it was quintessentially American and captured the era perfectly. At first, I found the investigative style mixed with such detailed literary description a bit unsettling (for want of a better word), but I was quickly into it.

Gen: 8/10. Amazing writing and descriptions, so evocative. Fascinating too about the non/ but also fictional elements. Really interesting and the sort of book that appears on 'must read' lists time and time again and I can see why!

Sharyn: Yes, I am so glad this book was selected for book club as I would not have read it otherwise.

Lynne: I'm tempted to go for a 9/10 because I loved it the 1st time I read it, and it stood up again this time. I did not think there was too much wrong with it. An incredibly engaging story that once again showed that truth can be stranger (and more shocking) than fiction. It captured America in the 1950's in all it's innocence. Even though Capote reports that the case was not broadly recognised outside of Kansas, I think the family, the community and it's reactions appears to typify the nation. I loved the style of the book; like a long piece of investigative journalism that was softened to make it feel more like a story than a report. I was hooked from the beginning, and while I suspected the re-telling of events from that fateful night would be gruesome, I was unprepared for the callous way the killers went about their business.

Michelle: I would never have read this book of my own accord, as I really dislike the whole genre of reporting crimes as entertainment, and also I find 'true crime' stories disturbing. However I'm really glad I read this book, it was so interesting and completely drew me in. It was also bizarrely timed with Phillip Seymour Hoffman's passing, and I watched the movie straight after the book.


 * 2. In what way does Capote create sympathy for the Cuttler? Do you feel they represented the American Dream? **

Lucy: By letting us know that the day he begins by describing is their last day but they don't know it immediately makes you feel a whole lot of sympathy for them. I didn't know the details of the murder so from then on I was just waiting to find out what happened which you didn't find out for a long time. I think this created even more sympathy.

Mel: He presents them as upstanding members of the community. Mr Cuttler is represented as someone who has given so much to those around him, Mrs Cuttler is represented as a a frail invalid who wouldn't hurt a fly, Nancy has the world at her feet and Keyton as innocent and full of the promise of youth. Capote wants up to know just how shocked and dismayed the town would be at the slaughter of this family. He wants the reader to feel shocked and dismayed too.

Sharyn: By showing us that the family were well regarded and had a positive impact on their community e.g. as a good employer, active members of the community and generous to others, but at the end of the day were a normal family with their own flaws and troubles e.g. Mrs Clutter's invalidity.

Gen: I was really interested in his depiction of this family. I wonder if it ever really existed how he describes or whether Capote managed to capture an era of small town American life that is now long gone I suspect..

Mel: I think that I have even more sympathy for them having just spent the past 10 minutes staring at their photo above. How terrified they must have been. What a truly despicable thing to do to another person.

Sharyn: The descriptions of the family have really stayed with me - I found them very powerful. By contrast, I felt as though the passages about the killers resonated with me less, until the last 50 pages or so, which were engrossing. I really admired Nancy's participation in the local community, school and her general zest for life. Some of the things that she was involved in seemed unusual for a country girl of that era.

Lynne: Capote makes the Clutters seem like model citizens so that, in contrast, their murderers are reflected back as the worst scum. He made the Clutters appear //valuable// and this meant that Holcomb missed them, and mourned them, more than they may have if it were a family that was less active in the community. Capote highlighted the fact that they were churchgoers which I suspect would have appealed to his readership at the time. Let's not forget, Capote was a showman and he knew he was on a show-stopper as soon as he started researching this book. Every heart string was pulled, repeatedly!

Mel: Yes, he did make them valued. This is a great was to explain it.

Michelle: I'm going to disagree with you, I can't say my heartstrings were pulled. Although Capote describes the family in detail I felt it was all very distant, perhaps it's just the reportage style. I found it shocking that such an upstanding family could be murdered, but I can't say I felt total grief over their deaths, the way I might have if it had been written more like a novel than a report. It was although the family just represented "normal citizens". This was reflected in the film too, the family were never shown, so I didn't feel for them personally, but more for the shock of the randomness of the crime. I think this makes the book's focus on the motive of the killers, rather than the sadness of the deaths, which lifts the book from being a sensationalist account to be a fascinating study of crime. However, my copy of the book didn't have their photos in it, just seeing them now makes it much more real (although I have to say, they don't look how I'd imagined them).


 * 3. Discuss Perry Smith. What kind of man was he? Think, for instance, about Perry Smith's chilling comment: "I thought he was a very nice gentleman.... I thought so right up to the moment I cut this throat." **

Mel: While it is not okay to excuse Perry's lawlessness due to his upbringing, I do think that his mental illness contributed greatly to the events in which he was responsible and a part of. Capote does paint Perry with a more sympathetic brush than he does Dick. We spend more time with Perry (Capote obviously got his hands on miles of information concerning him) and we find out what makes him tick. I was hoping that he didn't commit the actual murders or only did so under real duress from Dick - so yes, up to that point he was evoking a certain level of sympathy from me. I do think that a defense of insanity should have been tried in relation to Perry, but is this because that is what Capote wants me to think? I am not sure.

Sharyn: (Spoiler alert!) I was surprised at the end that Smith committed the murders. In the early passages, Smith struck me as someone who was being led astray by Hickock and the softer, more compassionate of the two. For example, he shows remorse for the murders and is sickened by and tries to temper Hickock's paedophile tendencies.

Gen: Scary. Isn't there some theory about Capote and Perry having some sort of attraction between them developed during prison visits?

Mel: Well that's interesting. Was Perry gay? At some points I thought he was but at other times I wasn't so sure.

Lucy: I think Capote very definitely wanted us to feel more sympathy towards Perry. And I certainly did not expect the turn of events that eventually happened - i.e him doing all the killing. Perhaps it was also a way of Capote highlighting the severe gaps in the justice system for people who were mentally ill. I have recently read a very good book by Gitta Sereny about a child killer called Mary Bell who also suffered from the lack of facilities to look after and help mentally ill criminals.

Lynne: Perry Smith was such a contradiction that I found him fascinating. He was almost likeable in parts which made me feel like I was being led in that direction. It amazes me that Capote was able to piece together such a comprehensive 'picture' of Perry through interviews, letters, his drawings, his police record, a meeting with his sister and his psych bio etc. I think he did a great job of displaying the polarities in his personality and the distinct possibility that he suffered from a personality disorder that enabled him to disassociate himself from the brutality of crimes (and even his brutal thoughts). It seemed like criminal psychology was just being born around this trial and not enough respect was paid to the professionals that wanted to contribute to the case. Perry Smith could definitely have benefitted from some psycho-analysis. His attitude to his living relatives (sister & father) shows that he had given up on the idea that 'family' would ever be a source of comfort and he seemed hardened by this. I was surprised that he was impressed by Hickock's bragging and surprised that a seemingly intelligent man went along with such an ill-thought out plan. Really, to rob a family in rural Kansas, murder any witnesses and then escape to Mexico to look for buried treasure....how delusional is that?


 * 4. Discuss Richard Hickock. What kind of man was he? The point has been made many ties that Capote aims for the reader to feel less sympathy of Hickrock than for Perry – even though it was Smith who did most or all of killing. Do you agree that Hickrock is less sympathetic as he appears totally sane, I comparison to unstable Smith? **

Mel: Dick is cold and calculating. He does appear sane, but this is even more confusing to me. How someone who is sane can be so devoid of the range of human emotions that attach us to people and to doing what is morally right? He was without a moral compass - but he certainly didn't deserve to die.

Sharyn: Yes, this is what confused me as well.

Lucy: In the early stages of the book I did not feel he seemed sane at all. I felt he was the one more on the edge and the scarier and more unsettling of the two characters. I was surprised how at the end the focus was so much more on the mental health of perry rather than Dick. Is that because it turned out that Perry did all the killing or that Capote focused his attention on Perry for the reasons Gen describes above? How can someone as deluded and devoid of emotions as Dick possibly be considered 'saner' than Perry?

Sharyn: The psychologists who interviewed Perry really focused on his upbringing and how this contributed to his mental illness. Obviously this was a big factor as more than one of his siblings committed suicide, but it was interesting to note how well adjusted his sister was.

Lynne: I have to say that the Capote's description of Hickock's face ("..//which seemed composed of mismatching parts. It was as though his head had been halved like an apple, and then put back together a fraction off centre//") was one of the most memorable lines in the book, and then when you see his mug shot it's brilliance is confirmed! Anyway, I can't say anything positive about Dick, he gave me the creeps. Calling Perry "honey" all the time, yuk! He was not profiled nearly as comprehensively as Perry was so I did not get a real sense of the guy - or maybe he was just as shallow as Capote tells us. Perhaps Perry was more complex and therefore more deserving of Capote's time.

Mel: The way Dick called Perry 'honey' really creeped me out too. Was he just trying to get under his skin?

Michelle: I am just going to talk about both guys at once. What I found most disturbing about both of them, mental illnesses or not, was that this crime was not the only choice or conclusion for either of them. It wasn't like this was the obvious destination for lives, like they'd always been crazy creeps who weren't to be trusted. They'd both held jobs, had people who liked/loved them and could have so easily chosen a different path. That they both chose to do this, and planned it out in detail without ever verifying the facts, and the sheer randomness of the act, was just terrifying.


 * 5. With this book, Truman has been credited with developing a new genre of writing: "literary non-fiction." What might that term mean, and how does In Cold Blood differ from straight crime reporting. **

Mel: I have not read any crime books that are not in this category of 'literary non-fiction'. The closest I can think of is the crime reporter for The Age newspaper in Melbourne Jon Silvester and the bland way he writes (which I think that he thinks is cool and edgy). As mentioned before I LOVE Australian writer Helen Gardner. I like her fiction books (especially The Spare Room) but it is her two 'literary non-fiction' books that have stayed with me long long after I have read them. What I like about her writing, even more than Capote is that she injects some of her feelings/ moral compass/ feminism critique into her writing. Capote was a little too removed for me. In terms of other 'literary non-fiction' I think that 'The Hare with Amber Eyes' is a great example. That writing jumped off the pahge

Gen: Mel I love Helen Garner too and I dislike Jon Silvester too! Snap. I am interested to read John Safran's 'Murder in Mississippi' which has just been published which was inspired by 'In Cold Blood' which is about a death penalty case involving a white supremacist.

Mel: Would you believe that my lovely friend Sharyn gave me 'Murder in Mississippi' for my birthday?! Really looking forward to getting stuck into it.

Sharyn: Ha, ha! It was SO hard choosing a book for Mel (i spent over an hour in the bookstore and had two shop assistants helping me) and I decided on Safran's book in the end as non-fiction seemed a bit safer and the book tied in with Mel's legal studies teaching and love of the Helen Garner books she has mentioned here. Back onto the question, I can't think of any good examples of literary non fiction in the crime arena. Can you call Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies literary non-fiction? If so, they are the best examples that I can think of, and just as evocative as Capote's writing.

Lucy: I can't think of any literary non fiction except very loosely Gitta Sereny who I mentioned above whose writing is all about trying to explain evil. She is an amazing writer and tackles some enormous issues. I would thoroughly recommend people reading some of her books.

Sharyn: Following on from my earlier comments, I have been pondering what is the difference is between 'historical fiction' (which is what Hilary Mantel's novels are often described as) and 'literary non-fiction'....they seem like two sides of the same coin to me.

Lynne: OK - part of the wikipedia definition is as follows: “Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative nonfiction writer is to communicate information, just like a reporter, but to shape it in a way that reads like fiction.” If it was not 9.55pm I would research the concept further but for now, this will have to do. The storytelling style of this crime must have been mind-blowing back in the is 60's. Capote was a trailblazer. To insert pieces of dialogue between the siblings on the day of the murder seems like a bit of a stretch in hindsight (eg: "Good grief Kenyon, I hear you" shouted Nancy as he called her to the telephone..), but readers would not stick with the story if it was presented as a newspaper article or straight journalism. Like my friend above, I love Helen Garner style pieces about true crime, but I hate Chopper Reid style true crime. I also love non-fiction and the way it shows life imitating art.


 * 6. What is your belief in relation to capital punishment? Do you feel that these men deserved to die for the crime that they committed? **

Mel: I am anti-death penalty for all crimes. No one (state or individual) has the right to take the life of another. What shocks me is that apparently over 50% of Australians think the opposite of what I do, and that consistently year after year, regardless of cultural background or gender the vast majority of kids in my classes are pro-death penalty.

Gen: I am completely against it in every case. It is the ultimate breach of human rights to take the life of another.

Sharyn: I am also completely against it - it is so hypocritical.

Lucy: Also against it. You only need to look at the recent case of the man who was freed after over 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit.

Lynne: I'm torn. In general I am opposed to it, but from a victim's point of view I can see why a mass murderer, or serial rapist can be seen to have forfeited his right to life by taking the lives of others, especially if the crimes were violent, or perpetrated against minors. The Daniel Morecomb case here in Australia gives one food for thought, though I still can't reconcile state sanctioned murder with my conscience. As for the Clutter murders, I can say that I feel no regret that Perry Smith was hanged for blowing the brains out of 4 innocent people. Dick, even though he was the mastermind of the plan (and I use that term loosely), I think by definition he should have been an 'accessory' to the crime and did not deserve to die.

Michelle: Totally against it. However, I really have no knowledge of the criminal justice system, nor have I ever experienced a terrible crime. It's quite easy for me to feel this way, so I would never be too righteous about my opinion.

**7. Have you seen the 2005 film, //Capote//, with Philip Seymour Hoffman in the role of Truman Capote? If so, does the film affect your view of Capote and his motives in writing his book? If not, does reading the book make you more interested to see this film?**

Mel: I haven't seen the film but I really want to know. I am especially interesting in Capote's working relationship/friendship with Harper Lee. And of course, there is an aspect of nostalgia now that he is dead in wanting to watch Hoffman in the role that got him the Academy Award.

Gen: No but I want to! Movie night in July Mel??

Mel: 100% yes.

Sharyn: I have a copy of the movie but haven't watched it yet. I desperately wanted to watch it in the lead up to discussing the book for book club but I have a seven month old who doesn't sleep and so I have to go to bed at 9pm every night to make sure i get at least a few hours of unbroken sleep. I haven't watched TV in months! I am also mourning PSH's death - it is so sad that we won't get to see his brilliant performances again.

Lucy: I haven't seen it but would like to. And like Mel, having recently re read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and the theory being that Dill is based on Truman Capote I am interested to know a little more about him.

Lynne: I saw it about a month ago, not long after Philip Seymour-Hoffman's suicide and loved it. It seems very faithful to the book and shows a side to Truman Capote that I did not really know existed. He is portrayed as an incredibly engaging man (despite his personal demons and his substance abuse). It makes me think that, even though Harper Lee was integral to the foundations of his book, he would have been more than capable of eliciting frank confessions from Holcomb residents about their feelings at the time and from the accused themselves. The cinematography is beautiful and I think pays homage to Capote's lovely descriptions of the physical environment in Kansas. Philip was brilliant as Capote - his peculiar speech, his gait, his frailties - -amazing. I recommend you all go get a copy and watch it this weekend.

Michelle: Lynne has summed it up beautifully. I also really felt the movie was a great complement to the book, and also answers many questions about how Capote worked.


 * 8. Is there anything else that you want to ask or add about ‘In Cold Blood’? **

Mel: I have a few points -

** I was surprised and disappointed that we didn't hear anything from the two older daughters who were orphaned by the killing. Their thoughts on the event. Their thoughts on the verdict etc.. I assume that they refused to be interviewed.


 * Did anyone else think it strange that Dick was given the same sentence as Perry even though Perry confessed to all 4 murders?

** I have read that Capote only went to Kansas on one or two occasions while researching the book. Most of the research was done in the form of letters. This has tainted my thoughts about the authenticity of the book somewhat. Does anyone else agree, or think that this does not matter?

Gen: Yes for a while I thought the older daughters might have played a role in paying the killers or something?? I was not that concerned about the authenticity of the book compared to the real events, I just thought it was a fascinating read.

Sharyn: Yes, if Smith confessed to the murders and Hickock professed his innocence to the murders then shouldn't Hickock only be charged as an accomplice or as part of a conspiracy to commit murder? I also thought the daughters behaviour after the murders was odd - who decides to bring forward their wedding to coincide with the gathering of family members after such a tragedy? They also didn't attend the trial or at least the sentencing of the murderers.

Lucy: I thought in the end Perry's confession to all four murders was not accepted in the court - I will need to go back and check. I don't think we really got enough information about Dick's part in the trial and what his defence was. Although I was hooked and engrossed in the book I think Capote was very manipulative, if that is the right word, in the information he gave us and the emotions he wanted to arouse in us. I too thought the rest of the family behaved oddly and would have liked more information about them but that is obviously not what was of interest to Capote.

Sharyn: Lucy, you could be right about the confession. My recollection is that Smith confessed during a long car journey with the FBI, but I could be wrong. I remember thinking that was unfortunate as no doubt it was not being taped and therefore was inadmissible as evidence. I just assumed that he later put his confession on the record. Regardless, the trial did seem rather amateurish.

Lynne: Are we amazed that the crucial evidence around the footprints on the cardboard box matched the shoes that Perry Smith had JUST collected from the post office after months of being on the road? Are we amazed that the freaky catholic dude from the Army wrote to Smith and appeared at the trial as a character witness? And is it weird that Smith & Hickock remained civil to each other, even on death row, after going through an episode that was going to cost them their lives? Anyway, an intelligent study of the nature of human beings. For me, the book revealed 2 criminals whose remorselessness I was unfamiliar with and whose psyche I wanted to delve deeper into. I was simultaneously repulsed and fascinated by them....I hope that does not reflect badly on me. After reading In Cold Blood I read "Open" - the autobiography of Andre Agassi, which was another fascinating study of a human being. Pushed into a corner by a fanatical father, forced to play a sport that he confesses that he hates and dealing with the success (and failures) that it brings. It was sensational.

Michelle: Reading this book has made me lock the doors. Previously I thought that if some maniac wanted to come in and kill us, they would regardless of whatever security we had, so it was all a bit pointless. But with the randomness of this crime, I feel like if one thing hadn't gone their way it never would have happened. So, I am much more alert now not to make it easy. Maybe not the most positive reaction to reading a book!!