FLASH BOOK REVIEW: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S by TRUMAN CAPOTE

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I should probably have given this more than 3 stars but perhaps I did not because of this sense I have that many 'lit classics', these writerly great works from decades and centuries past, have less and less to say to a mid-40s man lost in a world careering off its rails as digitisation and political and social polarisation take their scary and unholy grip on, well, EVERYTHING. The cyborg era is upon us kiddles. Ev-ery-bo-dy-say-yay.
I mean it's not as if Capote doesn't write WONDERFULLY WELL, deftly exploring character and societal ruptures and personal tragedies with a chitz and verve few could have matched at the time. Holly Golightly is a great tragi-comic character after all, she's so damaged and so funny and so bright, only the black-hearted could not root for her to get her shit together, even as you know she can't or won't, and the ensemble players are equally well drawn, even the barman.
You know what, I was wrong, this is a great book and the edition I read even comes with three bonus short stories at the back, which are equally masterful, humane, sad and wonderful.
I'm not sure I'll read more but am glad to have read Capote finally, maybe I'll give In Cold Blood a burl. If time permits. But I'll stick on 3 stars for this and move onto some science fiction. Thanks Truman.


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