In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, follows a real historical crime from the 20th century. In 1959, the Clutter family was brutally murdered in Kansas. The book follows the aftermath of both the murders and what happened to the killers after committing this horrific act. The book is written in alternate perspectives: one following the impacts of the murder of this family, and the other following the two killers as they flee the crime scene and try to reconcile with what they have done, to differing degrees. Al Dewey is the lead investigator of the murders in Kansas, and Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are the convicted murderers. This work is part of the narrative nonfiction genre, which is a book about actual true events written like a story. It is a story of true facts that reads like a fiction book.
The book follows Capote as he tries to describe what happened the night that the Clutter family was murdered while also following the ensuing investigation and arrests of the killers. Capote did intense research to write this book and consistently interviewed the convicted murderers after this atrocity, allowing him to write the book from both perspectives. The case is full of true facts about the case, and while the stylistic writing style can make the book seem fictional, it is not. These are true events that happened very close to the way that he describes them. However, as Capote was not a first-hand witness to these atrocities, there is still room for error in his description of what happened, and the recollections made by the murderers in their interviews could have been fabricated or exaggerated.
To be completely honest, non-fiction is not my preferred genre. Although there are a lot of nonfiction books that have interesting premises and ideas, it is difficult to stay interested in them when the text is dense and difficult to follow. In Cold Blood fixes that flaw simply because it is written in a narrative style. Had I not known the events of the book were completely factual and detailed true events, I would have believed that this was a well-researched fictional crime story. Capote’s dual perspective makes the book more interesting and lets you get invested in the story quickly. He also creates a level of respect for those who were murdered and generates a need for justice within the reader. He is also able to create sympathy for one of the murderers simply by interviewing him after he was arrested and was able to give his own story.
This is a great book for those who want to explore the non-fiction genre but like me, find it difficult to do so. Because of the narrative approach to its prose, this book makes it easier to follow the true facts of this case while also understanding the character study Capote makes about the two murderers. These were real people who committed or suffered heinous crimes, and the book allows you to grasp what happened without overwhelming you. It is also truly unique as it describes the crime committed, like many true crime media, but also combines it with the experiences of the murderers afterwards and what they felt. The dual perspective adds more depth to the case and to those guilty of it.
I do want to give a warning. The descriptions of violence in this book are violent, especially since these are true events and not a fictionalized murder. If gore and violence make you uncomfortable, this may not be the book for you. However, if you are interested in exploring a nonfiction book, I think this is a great one to read.
