Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

I read somewhere that Holly Golightly, the main character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was Capote’s favourite character and I guess I can understand why – certainly if she is compared against the protagonists of In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Penguin Magnum Collection).  Many readers have their impression of her shaped, at least to some degree, by Audrey Hepburn’s performance in the movie version. Holly is brilliant but brittle. As her name suggests, she does tread lightly through life, sparkling, entertaining, enthralling the men she encounters – including the narrator – but there are hints of a darker waves beneath the shiny surface. She suffers from ‘the mean reds’, she appears free and unencumbered by attachment but also vulnerable. This is a very short novel that is easily read in a single sitting but it is very well written and is one of those stories that hangs about inside your head for years to come.