Caroline
- Feb 24, 2020
- 4 min read

SENSELESS | IN COLD BLOOD

Paperback, 343 pages, Published February 1st 1994 by Vintage (first published 1965)

SYNOPSIS:

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.

As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

SPOTTED, xoxo:

S7: E1 Rory comes home to find Lorelai organizing items into piles in their living room. She is partaking the Gilmore break-up ritual of collecting all of your ex's belongings when wallowing. Lorelai has a pile of Luke's items and a pile of her things that remind her of him, alongside Babette's intimates.

RORY: Of course. So, all these books remind you of Luke?

LORELAI: Yeah, those are books I gave him to read, but he never did.

RORY: Oh, Cormac McCarthy, good call. In Cold Blood, he would have loved that.

LORELAI: Well he'll never know now.

PROP PLACEMENT:

I almost find this book reference being too heavy for the sugar-coated Gilmore girls. This book is mentioned as part of a grouping of books in Season 7's premiere, which is also the first episode of the series without the Palladinos. The absence of the original creators may have created a bit of a wobble on the season's start, so there is the sentiment during this season that things just seem a bit off in Stars Hollow. It seems strange to me that Lorelai is the person suggesting such a haunting book, but being that it is deemed a classic and originally published in 1965, this seems plausible that she would know Luke's tastes to reference it. This also provides insight into how well she knows Luke. This book does, in fact, seem very on-brand as a book recommendation for him. I have seen on many a fansite that Luke is deemed an enneagram six, which would entail that he would enjoy retellings of true-crime stories due to his nature of always wanting to be prepared and leaning into the hard realities of life. He most likely would have very formed opinions to speak on by it's ending.

BOOKMARKS:

"But I figure, Well, I'll take my chances. What it comes down to is I want the diamonds more than I'm afraid of the snake." - Part 2, Page 92

"I didn't want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat." - Part 3, Page 244

"Then, starting home, he walked toward the trees, and under them, leaving behind him the big sky, the whisper of wind voices in the wind-bent wheat." - Part 4, Page 343

PAGE TURNERS:

By the end of this book, I had single tears streaming down my face. I had empathy for all of the lives inside, and the stories of all those involved are overall heartbreaking.

The crime was senseless and cold-blooded, and the murderers heinous, especially Dick with his pre-meditated intention for the household. I thought Perry to be more grievous simply because some of his actions were somewhat senseless even to him; he was like an abused animal lashing out without any understanding in many aspects. His overwhelming yearning for human connection, juxtaposed with his general distrust yet acceptance of all faults of those who befriend him, was so distressing. I think it's human nature to want to understand and make logic of things that don't make any sense, to find some kind of reasoning to wrap your head around, but that can't exist here.

WHAT THE WHAT?:

Just how factual was Truman Capote's account of history? It has long been said that Capote took literary license on his book labeled non-fiction, although he had compiled more than six-years worth of notes and research. Ronald Nye, the son of the detective on the case in 1959, took his father's case notes and set out to write a book without any of the embellishments that Capote had been accused of. Apparently Harold Nye, the detective on the Clutter case, stopped reading the piece deemed non-fiction on page 115 and created notecards detailing the inaccuracies. Ronald's book is meant to display the sordid details of these instances without entailing any conclusions. The book was recently published in March 2019 and named And Every Word is True. *adds to tbr*

CARO'S RATING: 5 of 5 STARS

Capote's writing is stunning, and the detail of this book astounding. I felt disgusted, empathetic, and terribly sad all at the same time. I do feel as if I read the detailed accounts of the proposed inaccuracies, my rating may change only due to my inclination that a non-fiction book should be just that, and not a depiction solely based on true events. I believe real individuals are owed the respect of their truest portrayal, even in art. However, I have not, and to that effect, the writing is purely outstanding.