Music For Chameleons

   For some reason, I really have had a difficult time deciding what book to cover this time. I had finally narrowed it down to two autobiographies. I was researching the authors, about to flip a coin, and decided to take a break to string some beads at my studio. Upon returning home I was spinning my revolving bookcase and my eyes fell upon Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote.

   I have always loved Capote's literary style. I read A Christmas Memory when I was in my early teens and I was hooked. The author had a distinctly southern point-of-view and a sweet melancholy that was heart-breaking in its simplicity. My family has deep roots in the South and I could relate to the characters and the landscape painted so beautifully in this slim volume.

   Truman Capote was extremely complicated. Just read Breakfast at Tiffany's, In Cold Blood, The Grass Harp, -his range was unbelievable. I must confess, I find some of  Capote's writing uneven. But, with all that has been written about his tumultuous life, that is to be expected. He was certainly a creative genius and, like so many gifted artists, tortured and self-destructive.

   A few years ago, when my mother was nearing the end of what is euphemistically referred to in our family as "the fourth quarter," I spent a a great deal of time trying to find books to engage her mind and divert her attention from the constant pain she was experiencing. Laura Paige and I were reading lots of Truman Capote books and comparing notes, when we came across Music For Chameleons, a collection of short stories. Now, I rarely read short stories because, well, they are "short." As I stated in an earlier blog, I am always sad to come to the end of a good book. With that in mind, why would I want to invest myself emotionally in a plot and characters that leave me high-and -dry after less than an hour? But, because of my great love for Truman Capote's work, and for my mother's comfort, I read the book. My mother adored Truman Capote and always stated that, given a chance to have a anyone in the world sitting next to her at a dinner party, she would pick him.

   Well, reading Music for Chameleons may have been the next best thing. The stories are as wide-ranging and entertaining as, well, as I imagine a conversation with Truman Capote would have been. He writes of his friendship with Marilyn Monroe in A Beautiful Child. Who, better, to explore the emotional torment of a gifted, misunderstood soul, than another gifted, misunderstood soul? Handcarved Coffins is a lengthy and fascinating true-crime story in the style of In Cold Blood. But my favorite story is Music for Chameleons. The descriptive, beautiful prose takes you to a place and  time far removed from the present. How much of the story is true, and how much is a product of the author's imagination is not important. It is a lovely story in brilliant colors and images.

   My mother was delighted with the book. We had some wonderful conversations about the stories and our impressions. What a gift great writing and good literature are to those who read! Not only are individual readers blessed by what is read, the opportunity to share a treasured story with loved ones and discuss one another's reactions and thoughts is a way to connect when other avenues are closed. Generations are bridged, differences are put aside and conversation can take place on common ground- a love of the printed page.