Summer Crossing by Truman Capote
I'd never read Truman Capote but I always felt like I should, so I picked Summer Crossing up at a fantastic used bookstore in Ojai. This selection came from a posthumous printing, yet was one of his earlier works.
It's the story of a young love triangle set in a scorching summer in Manhattan. A privileged young lady living in a Park Avenue apartment/mansion sees her family off on a trans-Atlantic voyage, and stays behind to frolic with her lover, the parking attendant of the lot where she parks her car. It's obviously ill-fated, and he treats her terribly, so it's hard to be sympathetic.
Meanwhile, the 17-year old girl is oblivious to the love her life-long male friend has for her.
It all culminates in a disaster that is clearly coming down the pipe. Even while Summer Crossing is wrapped in literary prose, it struggles to be original or very captivating. No wonder Capote hesitated to publish it. I presume for him it was an exercise in honing his writing skills. Nothing more.
General consensus: Takes life too seriously. Is reminiscent of the horrors of The Great Gatsby.
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