Tuesday, August 25, 2015

True Crime Tuesday: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote


In Cold Blood is so often read and discussed that there have been multiple graphic novels and movies both based off of it, and about the writing process of it itself. When people think true crime, this is a book that almost always makes the list.

Much of this is because In Cold Blood is so well-written. Capote takes the true crime story and turns it into a flowing narrative novel. Some of the interest is certainly due to many people accusing Capote of taking artistic license with true events, spinning certain moments to fit his perspective, or inventing scenes altogether.

What is known for sure is that the Clutter family was murdered, and that Capote arrived on the scene to look into the story even before the killers, Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Smith, were arrested. Capote spent considerable time with the people involved, including the killers themselves, particularly Smith. Capote found himself becoming part of his own story, having a difficult personal stake in how things ended.

Things ended with the execution of Smith and Hickock, and Capote spending six years working on what would become his best known piece of literature, and one of the best known true crime novels to date.

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