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Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948)

by Truman Capote

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,538485,779 (3.84)102
Truman Capote's first novel is a story of almost supernatural intensity and inventiveness, an audacious foray into the mind of a sensitive boy as he seeks out the grown-up enigmas of love and death in the ghostly landscape of the deep South. At the age of twelve, Joel Knox is summoned to meet the father who abandoned him at birth. But when Joel arrives at the decaying mansion in Skully's Landing, his father is nowhere in sight. What he finds instead is a sullen stepmother who delights in killing birds; an uncle with the face--and heart--of a debauched child; and a fearsome little girl named Idabel who may offer him the closest thing he has ever known to love.… (more)
  1. 51
    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Othemts)
    Othemts: These books are two sides of the same coin of life in a small Alabama town. Where there's dignity and hope in Mockingbird, Other Voices is decadence and demoralization
  2. 00
    A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan (sturlington)
    sturlington: Gay teenagers coming of age in the South.
  3. 01
    The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (weener)
    weener: Both books with a srong sense of setting, with a sense of foreboding and decay.
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English (42)  Spanish (3)  Italian (2)  Bulgarian (1)  All languages (48)
Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
13-year-old Joel Knox leaves his aunt's house in New Orleans, where he has been comfortably cared for since his mother's death, ostensibly having been summoned by the father he has never met. His solo journey into the gothic environs of Southern decay leads him to an obscure backwater where he meets blighted characters haunted by the past, struggling with the present and dubious of the future. Joel has long been able to take himself to a "secret room" in his mind, and often has unbidden visions as well. He puts his observations of the new people in his life to good use, eventually realizing basic truths about himself and what matters to him. A brilliant short novel packed with elegant prose, atmosphere and humanity. If only Capote could have held on to the wise young man inside himself shown to us here.

"...only hypocrites would hold a man responsible for what he loves" ( )
  laytonwoman3rd | Mar 6, 2024 |
Truman Capote's debut novel is amazing. It's been described as hallucinogenic or "gothic on steroids". I would have to agree with both descriptions. I listened on audio, which was a full immersion experience.

The story is reportedly semi-autobiographical. It opens with Joel Knox, a young 12-year old boy traveling to meet his father for the first time in his life. Up till now he's lived in New Orleans, but his father lives at a place called Skully's Landing - very remote and difficult to reach place in the deep south.

At Skully's Landing Joel encounters a menagerie of characters and odd incidents. Some of the incidents seem to actually occur, where others are only in Joel's imagination.

Altogether a wonderful listen and a good distraction! ( )
  sriddell | Aug 6, 2022 |
I generally love Capote's use of language, but in this one it was not as enjoyable as in his later works. There were some paragraphs that were breathtaking. The bigger problem for me was that I felt the story and the characters were not capturing my attention. I have noticed this is often the case with these gothic style novels; maybe because they focus so much in creating the atmosphere? And, to be honest, atmosphere is rarely enough to make a book interesting for me. I was left with a quite empty feeling after finishing this. ( )
  Lady_Lazarus | Jun 11, 2021 |
This books, written in 1948 by famed author Truman Capote, has long passages of beautifully descriptive prose. It also has long passages where I have no idea what the author is trying to say, and I’m not quite sure he knew, either. I believe that the author purposely skewed the intended meaning as a form of art, a way in which to create atmosphere and a better sense of the world in which the character lives.

What it lacks in realism and clarity, it almost makes up for in the poetry and symbolism. The story is a combination of coming of age and longing for a sense of belonging. It explores complex themes which today still balance on the borderline of taboo. Not my favorite book, but being so short, it’s worth picking up to form your own opinion. Four stars.
  ShannonHollinger | Feb 15, 2021 |
Prose as thick and tangled as a kudzu vine and Gothic to the point of being grotesque – this is one of the most complex and evocative novels I’ve ever read. ( )
  wandaly | Feb 1, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (19 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Truman Capoteprimary authorall editionscalculated
Berendt, JohnIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9
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For Newton Arvin
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Now a traveler must make his way to Noon City by the best means he can, for there are no buses or trains heading in that direction, though six days a week a truck from the Chuberry Turpentine Company collects mail and supplies in the next-door town of Paradise Chapel: occasionally a person bound for Noon City can catch a ride with the driver of the truck, Same Radclif.
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Truman Capote's first novel is a story of almost supernatural intensity and inventiveness, an audacious foray into the mind of a sensitive boy as he seeks out the grown-up enigmas of love and death in the ghostly landscape of the deep South. At the age of twelve, Joel Knox is summoned to meet the father who abandoned him at birth. But when Joel arrives at the decaying mansion in Skully's Landing, his father is nowhere in sight. What he finds instead is a sullen stepmother who delights in killing birds; an uncle with the face--and heart--of a debauched child; and a fearsome little girl named Idabel who may offer him the closest thing he has ever known to love.

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Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

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