People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo - and the Evil that Swallowed Her Up - Richard Lloyd Parry

Lucie Blackman—tall, blond, twenty-one years old—stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000, and disappeared forever. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave.

Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, covered Lucie’s disappearance and followed the massive search for her, the long investigation, and the even longer trial. Over ten years, he earned the trust of her family and friends, won unique access to the Japanese detectives and Japan’s convoluted legal system, and delved deep into the mind of the man accused of the crime, Joji Obara, described by the judge as “unprecedented and extremely evil.”

The result is a book at once thrilling and revelatory, “In Cold Blood for our times” (Chris Cleave, author of Incendiary and Little Bee).

I picked up People Who Eat Darkness on the recommendation of a friend. She had been raving about it when we went to dinner a few nights before so when I saw it at the bookstore later on in the week, I had to pick it up. I've kind of been on a true crime kick lately and a recommendation from someone I trust made sure that this was not to be missed.

There are two main aspects to this book: the exploration into Japanese culture, especially host culture and the exploration into the psyche of Joji Obara, the man ultimately accused of the crime. On the first count, I can honestly say that I don't think I learned too terribly much, not because Parry isn't very informative, as he is, but because I've lived in Japan and this was something that I already understood. However, although it wasn't new information, it was somehow interesting to hear it discussed and dissected, looking at it from the eyes of a culture that doesn't understand. Parry does an excellent job of explaining exactly what Lucie had gotten into and does it without painting hostess culture black. It's very interesting.

As for Joji Obara, my word. That was a fascinating chapter. The man is mad as a hatter. From changing his name twice before turning eighteen to being saddled with a seriously dysfunctional family to the vanity book he publishes to "prove" his innocence. Reading about his past and his habits made for interesting, if slightly frightening, reading. I couldn't put the book down. Seriously. I stayed up until 4 AM to finish it.

Parry followed the story from the beginning, all the way through to the verdict years later and because of this, he has a firm grasp of the story. He has personal relations with everyone involved and while you can tell he's trying his best to stay impartial, his reason also peaks through, giving the reader an idea on his thoughts on certain topics. He also gets drawn into the story himself at the end, becoming the target of an Obara outburst while he is trying to get an interview. That was an interesting moment.

Parry writes with compassion, knowledge and a bit of sass. He informs the reader of the facts of the case while also telling a story. Despite not being around for most of the tale, you really get a feeling of who Lucie Blackman was and how the loss of this young girl impacted not only her family but her town and her country. 

This book was compelling and hard to put down. I completely recommend it.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

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.

Sometimes I think about the fact that I say I'm this big lit buff and yet there are some really famous authors that I've never read. Also, sometimes Powell's has a sale and there are books that I think I should read on the sale rack. Sometimes these two things coincide and thus, I recently read Capote's In Cold Blood.

I don't know what I really expected from the book. It's true crime, a genre that I've never really been super into (except for that brief semester in college when I was totally going to join the police ahaha I would be the worst police) but it was such an important piece of American lit that I felt I had to read it. 

The book itself is really good. Although it is technically nonfiction, it reads like a novel, completely seamless and without some of the awkwardness you can get from nonfiction accounts. Capote brings the reader to understand not only the events but the feelings surrounding them, delving into the psyche of whole towns and all the surrounding bystanders. 

You can tell while you're reading, although Capote certainly doesn't lean in any direction particularly, that he has completely done his research and at least felt some compassion for the killers, Perry in particular. After reading the book and looking up some things on my own, apparently he interviewed them several times and was even accused of having a not-strictly-platonic relationship with Perry. You didn't get the sense of that in the book but you could tell that he sympathized with his backstory. When you read it, however, it seems hard not to.

Not to say that you sympathize with the killers because, well, they did kill an entire family. It's just the way Capote tells the entire story that lets the reader see all aspects and make their own judgments. You're never in doubt that Perry and Hicks committed the crime but there is a lot of exploration into how psychology stood at the time, especially in criminal cases which was very interesting.

There has been a bit of backlash that not everything is 100% accurate and that doesn't surprise me. The book reads so smoothly that it does seem likely that a bit may have been fabricated (especially the last scene). However, I think overall the book captures the true nature of the case and represents feelings correctly, if not the exact facts.

You can see why it was such a big hit and is surprisingly easy read for what it is. If you're up for something challenging theme-wise, it's a great read.