Better Late than Never

So I wish I had some amazing story to explain why I have failed to write more than one blog post, but sadly, I don't. I have been busy however: work, classes, midterms and disney channel Halloween movies have been consuming my time over the past couple of weeks causing my lack of attention to the blogging world. I apologize.

HOWEVER, I have made time to really delve into "In Cold Blood," which I am finding fascinating. High school english classes have really deterred me from what I like to call "englishy books." The amount of unnecessary analysis that is required to pass high school english classes is absurd. (MAYBE the blue curtains don't represent anything! MAYBE the author just likes the color blue!) Therefore, I was reluctant on starting "In Cold Blood." This reluctance didn't go away too quickly either. The first forty or so pages were rather drab...As a reader fully knowing what is going to happen, the style of writing Capote initially uses makes the read a tad boring. The anticipation of the murders, or rather the climax of the story, is dragged on and on while Capote describes what the Clutter's had for breakfast the day of their murder. But obviously, this is where that whole creative non-fiction aspect comes into play. What novel have you ever read that jumped immediately to the climax? This particular type of style though, does make it difficult to read. I found myself skipping pages frequently in hopes that the action would be on the next page. Because of this, it's really reminding me of "Crime and Punishment" by Fydor Dostoyevksy. I remember reading every other page of that book hoping something remotely interesting would happen. (Nothing ever did.) 

So what's so fascinating? This may seem contradictory, but the same ideas that make this book so boring, are the same ideas that create my fascination. When I was choosing "In Cold Blood" for my book club choice, I did a lot of background information searching. In earlier posts by this group, we talked about Capote's research on the two murderers, and a possible infatuation with one of them. It is believed that Capote became very "close" to Perry and Dick. I feel as though this "closeness" is portrayed within the beginnings of the book. The descriptions of both the Clutter family and the two criminals really allow the reader to get to know the "characters," almost in the way that Capote knew them. This aspect has me most intrigued for what is to come in the rest of the book.

What I like so much about "In Cold Blood," is that it keeps me guessing. I love that he is able to keep me questioning something I already know. Hopefully these questions are answered as I keep reading.