A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

 

What author do you consider to be a truly American author?  I have read In Cold Blood, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote.  All are completely different from each other and unique.  All paint different pictures of the American experience.  

A Christmas Memory is a poignant collection of three short stories that Capote wrote based on his life growing up in Alabama. Capote’s parents divorced when he was very young and had a custody battle over him.  He was shipped off to live with distant cousins in Alabama.  There he was raised by Miss Sook, a sixtyish cousin, who had the spirit of a child.  They didn’t have much, but Capote felt loved. 

The first story, a “Christmas Memory” is about Miss Sook (my friend) and Capote (Buddy) making their Christmas fruitcake.  The second story, “One Christmas,” is about a Christmas visit Buddy makes to his Dad in New Orleans.  The third story, “Thanksgiving Visitor” is the story of a family gathering where Buddy’s nemesis from school has been invited.  All three stories were excellent and painted a picture of the love and struggles that Buddy faced growing up.  They all gave me a great love for Miss Sook and a great sadness.  Buddy was shipped off to boarding school by his parents and never was able to see her again.  She raised him with great love and kindness and was his mother in all practical purposes.  It really made me think about the important people in my life growing up and how they made the holidays special.

I read this collection last year and it is the kind of holiday stories that you can read every year.  This year we read it in our Kewaunee Library Back to the Classics Book Club.  We all enjoyed it.  It’s a great story.  The library also had a book with beautiful illustrations for “A Christmas Memory.”  We discussed how you could place the story in time without a date being given, and the making of the fruitcakes. I really want a piece of homemade fruitcake now!

Favorite Quotes: 

“As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes.”

“Home is where my friend is, and there I never go.”

“And when that happens, I know it.  A message saying so merely confirms a piece of news some secret vein had already received, severing from me an irreplaceable part of myself, letting it loose like a kite on a broken string.”

Overall, A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote is a must-read Christmas story.

Book Source:  This book was already a part of my Christmas book collection.