Just Finished Reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

The city of Savannah, Georgia during the 1980s is the focus of John Berendt's 1994 primarily nonfiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, later made into a movie starring John Cusack and the lately-disgraced Kevin Spacey.  In it Berendt, as narrator, plays the role of a New York journalist who travels to the southeastern Georgia town at the start of that decade, being introduced along the way to its very interesting history, landmarks, famous buildings...and ultimately some very quirky, eccentric people with their own special stories.  I read it because I was going there on a weekend recently with Melissa and wanted to find some places to explore while better understanding the city.  For this purpose the novel was an unqualified success as we toured the Mercer Williams House, prominently featured in the book, as well as walking up and down the streets of the Historic District and the riverfront area...not to mention visiting Forsyth Park and Bonaventure Cemetery, the latter serving as a setting for a couple of the story's scenes.  Berendt, after his book came out, noticed that tourism to Savannah had dramatically increased, and during our stay we were surrounded by droves of other sightseers.  Berendt's associations in Savannah revolve around Jim Williams, a wealthy antiques entrepreneur who was a driving force in the renovation of downtown Savannah, as well as the owner of the majestic (then) Mercer House.  Also, other characters emerge, like the irresponsible, continually partying attorney Joe Odom, the mentally disturbed inventor Luther Driggers, the troubled street hustler Danny Hansford, the voodoo charmer Minerva, and the drag queen Chablis.  The plot of the story, which is interspersed by these and other characters and descriptions of Savannah's history and social structure, is driven by the murder trial of Williams after he shoots to death an employee in his office at Mercer House.  Well, I think that's about as far as I want to go in with the storyline...I don't want to spoil things in case you want to read it for yourself...

Although the sights and history of Savannah were things from the book I could explore during my visit, Berendt's ability to meet and get to know on a relatively intimate level some of its inhabitants wasn't something I felt like emulating...like most other visitors, I wanted to explore and enjoy the food and ambiance there.  I appreciate books like this that give a stronger sense of context for a place I'm either visiting or plan to visit...Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch did much the same for Manhattan.  I heartily recommend Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, although if you're a little skittish about explicit passages you might want to take a pass. As for the Clint Eastwood-directed film adaptation, I have no plans to see it, although I understand that it was filmed largely on location and in places I just visited...including Jim Williams' office where the alleged murder happened...