Review of Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote

​Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote is a novel about a boy who’s been sent to his father’s house in the South. The boy is seen as more feminine by those around him, and his personality is contrasted well with another character, Idabel, a tomboy. Though, when the boy, Joel, arrives to his father’s house, he is met with his stepmother and his uncle, Randolph. Throughout his time in the house, he learns that his father is immobile and can’t communicate, that he has deep feelings for Idabel, and Randolph shot his father.
 
Capote created vivid descriptions and moments of vulnerability, though its language, at times, felt antiquated. I especially enjoyed Randolph’s confession and description of how Joel’s father got hurt, and his attraction to Pepe Alvarez. For the time, I’m sure it was groundbreaking to have a gay character that wasn’t seen as completely immoral. Though, it felt like the language when talking about the Black characters fell into racial stereotypes that we have grown out of.
 
Final Rating: 3.5/5