Friday, August 04, 2006
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt
review by E. Dowson
In May of 1981, John Berendt, the editor of New York Magazine, took a leave of absence from his job and rented an apartment in Savannah, Georgia. Having visited the city on several previous vacations, he became so fascinated with the city and its denizens he decided to live there full time for a year and write a book about his experiences. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil chronicles those experiences.
The story begins with Berendt researching his novel by driving around town, interviewing prominent citizens, and soaking up the local culture. If the book had continued in that fashion, then a nice little book about Savannah would have been published, probably informative, but not that interesting. But fate decided to step in during Berendt’s visit to Savannah. The nice little book about Savannah turned into an absorbing first hand account of one of Savannah’s most prominent citizens and the murder scandal he became involved in during Berendt’s stay.
You still get a lot of information about Savannah’s citizens, culture, history, and landmarks in this story as John Berendt gathers information, but the wonderful thing about the book is that all of the information is woven in between the front stage story of the murder and the trial that follows. Instead of reading like a textbook, the book reads like a novel, both entertaining and educational. You will also get a great understanding of the city’s strange dynamic -- the city’s small town feel despite being a city of over 150, 000 people and their unique blend of hospitality and xenophobia. As one citizen says in the novel, “We may be standoffish, but we’re not hostile. We’re famously hospitable, in fact…”
When you meet the characters in the novel, you’ll be simultaneously moved and tickled by them; the genius who may or may not contain a means of killing the entire city, a sane man who walks an invisible dog, a priestess of the voodoo country, debutant societies and clubs, the main entertainer in the city’s gay bar, and a conman who has an ongoing party in his home all appear. So singular are these characters that I had to constantly remind myself while reading that these were all real people who lived in Savannah during this time.
The writing of this book is also one of its assets. The beautiful and strong description and imagery of Savannah’s structure, landmarks, and populace is interspersed with witty dialogue and unbiased information, which must have been difficult to achieve, considering the author is the narrator. His writing of the murder case and trial was handled brilliantly, lending itself to suspense in the right places without giving too much away. In the first chapters when Berendt is interviewing the man who will eventually become the center of the murder scandal, he says, “Don’t be taken in by the moonlight and magnolias…” and goes on to hint that Savannah has an underlying dark side. That line alone made me want to read the rest of the book.
Though John Berendt admits in the author’s notes that he took liberties with some of the sequences of events, the book is classified nonfiction. As someone who seldom reads nonfiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe it to be highly worth checking out. One warning, however: the book does contain strong profanity at times, some sexual themes, and sexual dialogue. But this book that could have been one of a thousand other informational materials about Savannah, Georgia, offers something for everyone. History buffs, fans of murder mysteries, fans of courtroom dramas, nonfiction readers, and people who just like a good story about love, hate, prejudices, humor, standing up for what’s right, and the age old showdown of good versus evil will take pleasure in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Copyrighted in 1994. Also made into a disappointing 1997 movie starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack.
review by E. Dowson
In May of 1981, John Berendt, the editor of New York Magazine, took a leave of absence from his job and rented an apartment in Savannah, Georgia. Having visited the city on several previous vacations, he became so fascinated with the city and its denizens he decided to live there full time for a year and write a book about his experiences. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil chronicles those experiences.
The story begins with Berendt researching his novel by driving around town, interviewing prominent citizens, and soaking up the local culture. If the book had continued in that fashion, then a nice little book about Savannah would have been published, probably informative, but not that interesting. But fate decided to step in during Berendt’s visit to Savannah. The nice little book about Savannah turned into an absorbing first hand account of one of Savannah’s most prominent citizens and the murder scandal he became involved in during Berendt’s stay.
You still get a lot of information about Savannah’s citizens, culture, history, and landmarks in this story as John Berendt gathers information, but the wonderful thing about the book is that all of the information is woven in between the front stage story of the murder and the trial that follows. Instead of reading like a textbook, the book reads like a novel, both entertaining and educational. You will also get a great understanding of the city’s strange dynamic -- the city’s small town feel despite being a city of over 150, 000 people and their unique blend of hospitality and xenophobia. As one citizen says in the novel, “We may be standoffish, but we’re not hostile. We’re famously hospitable, in fact…”
When you meet the characters in the novel, you’ll be simultaneously moved and tickled by them; the genius who may or may not contain a means of killing the entire city, a sane man who walks an invisible dog, a priestess of the voodoo country, debutant societies and clubs, the main entertainer in the city’s gay bar, and a conman who has an ongoing party in his home all appear. So singular are these characters that I had to constantly remind myself while reading that these were all real people who lived in Savannah during this time.
The writing of this book is also one of its assets. The beautiful and strong description and imagery of Savannah’s structure, landmarks, and populace is interspersed with witty dialogue and unbiased information, which must have been difficult to achieve, considering the author is the narrator. His writing of the murder case and trial was handled brilliantly, lending itself to suspense in the right places without giving too much away. In the first chapters when Berendt is interviewing the man who will eventually become the center of the murder scandal, he says, “Don’t be taken in by the moonlight and magnolias…” and goes on to hint that Savannah has an underlying dark side. That line alone made me want to read the rest of the book.
Though John Berendt admits in the author’s notes that he took liberties with some of the sequences of events, the book is classified nonfiction. As someone who seldom reads nonfiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe it to be highly worth checking out. One warning, however: the book does contain strong profanity at times, some sexual themes, and sexual dialogue. But this book that could have been one of a thousand other informational materials about Savannah, Georgia, offers something for everyone. History buffs, fans of murder mysteries, fans of courtroom dramas, nonfiction readers, and people who just like a good story about love, hate, prejudices, humor, standing up for what’s right, and the age old showdown of good versus evil will take pleasure in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Copyrighted in 1994. Also made into a disappointing 1997 movie starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack.
