Capote in Kansas: A Ghost StoryKim Powers
Today, I have the pleasure of hosting the latest stop on Kim Powers’ Virtual Book Tour for his novel, Capote in Kansas.
Capote in Kansas recounts the odd friendship between Truman Capote and Harper Lee. After the success of both of their novels, the friendship between Capote and Lee fell apart. Rumors abound (no thanks to Capote himself, as Powers posits) that Lee’s success owes more than a little to Capote’s efforts, and Capote has become obsessed with fame and celebrity, to say nothing of his obsession with drugs and alcohol.
Capote in Kansas begins as Capote, addled by booze and pills and haunted by the ghosts of the Clutter family (the victims Capote detailed in In Cold Blood), places a late-night phone call to his old friend. Lee, who hasn’t spoken to Capote in years, is forced to remember both the ups and downs of their friendship, which spanned their childhood in the South to their adulthood in the public eye.
Capote in Kansas recounts the odd friendship between Truman Capote and Harper Lee. After the success of both of their novels, the friendship between Capote and Lee fell apart. Rumors abound (no thanks to Capote himself, as Powers posits) that Lee’s success owes more than a little to Capote’s efforts, and Capote has become obsessed with fame and celebrity, to say nothing of his obsession with drugs and alcohol.
Capote in Kansas begins as Capote, addled by booze and pills and haunted by the ghosts of the Clutter family (the victims Capote detailed in In Cold Blood), places a late-night phone call to his old friend. Lee, who hasn’t spoken to Capote in years, is forced to remember both the ups and downs of their friendship, which spanned their childhood in the South to their adulthood in the public eye.
Capote in Kansas is less a literal ghost story than a psychological one. The Clutter ghosts allow both Capote and Lee to return to their respective pasts and ponder where they went wrong, although Capote, numbed as he is, is less introspective than Lee. As Capote's instability increases, he begins constructing bizarre boxes, which he then anonymously sends to a disturbed Lee.
With Capote in Kansas, Powers, currently a writer/producer at ABC’s Primetime Live and a winner of both Emmy and Peabody Awards for his 9/11 coverage for Good Morning America, offers a fast-paced read that never drags. Although I could quibble about his tendency to overindulge in short, one-sentence paragraphs, I found his pacing perfect and the storyline gripping. Furthermore, I learned fascinating details about both of these authors, neither of whom I knew much about besides their most famous works.
In his end note, Powers explains how he blended fact and fiction, and I was surprised to read that some of the more fantastic elements of Capote in Kansas (such as the "snake boxes" constructed by Capote towards the end of his life) were, in fact, true. If you would like to read the first chapter of Capote in Kansas, simply click here; to visit more stops on this Virtual Book Tour, just click here.
In a nutshell: Intriguing and informative, Capote in Kansas entertained me at the same time it educated me about two pivotal American authors.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
With Capote in Kansas, Powers, currently a writer/producer at ABC’s Primetime Live and a winner of both Emmy and Peabody Awards for his 9/11 coverage for Good Morning America, offers a fast-paced read that never drags. Although I could quibble about his tendency to overindulge in short, one-sentence paragraphs, I found his pacing perfect and the storyline gripping. Furthermore, I learned fascinating details about both of these authors, neither of whom I knew much about besides their most famous works.
In his end note, Powers explains how he blended fact and fiction, and I was surprised to read that some of the more fantastic elements of Capote in Kansas (such as the "snake boxes" constructed by Capote towards the end of his life) were, in fact, true. If you would like to read the first chapter of Capote in Kansas, simply click here; to visit more stops on this Virtual Book Tour, just click here.
In a nutshell: Intriguing and informative, Capote in Kansas entertained me at the same time it educated me about two pivotal American authors.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
1 comment:
Great review! I love the pictures!
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