Book description
A compelling portrait of 1960s America that takes as its starting point
the brutal events of 11 March 1963, the day on which the lives of three
complete strangers - a black handyman, an Italian-American carpenter and
a second-generation Jewish housewife - collided in the leafy Boston
suburb of Belmont.
These three people did not know one another, but, by the end of the
day, the housewife had been raped and strangled, the handyman had been
arrested on suspicion of being the notorious Boston Strangler, and the
real Boston Strangler - carpenter Al DeSalvo - had returned home to his
wife and children. It was not until two years later that DeSalvo
admitted to the gruesomely violent murders of thirteen women. Also
unwittingly drawn into the drama were one-year-old Sebastian Junger's
own family, who posed for a photograph with DeSalvo the day after the
Belmont strangling, at the completion of his work on their studio.
Taking the chilling family snap as his inspiration, Junger explores the
worlds of the three protagonists and, in so doing, creates a portrait of
America in the 1960s that touches on the historic themes of the era: the
assassination of JFK, the rise of the immigrants and the troubling race
relations that prefigured the death of Martin Luther King.
This new work by Sebastian Junger, the acclaimed author of 'Perfect
Storm' and 'Fire', is as enlightening as it is haunting. Taking as its
foundation the events that shocked a quiet community in 1963, 'A Death
in Belmont' expands to encompass an entire nation at a time of
extraordinary social turmoil. 'The great merit of Junger's thoughtful
book is that he is constantly striving to go beyond the obvious…True
crime stories in which the wrong man is sent down are a dime to the
dozen. But Sebastian Junger's elegant and gripping book rises above the
herd because he is unafraid to confront the ambiguity of human memory,
and because he admits the impossibility of discovering the 'absolute
truth' of what happened that day in Belmont…Superbly researched and
tautly written, “A Death in Belmont” reads like a classic whodunit; but
it is a hundred times more satisfying.' The Telegraph
'Junger is a master of narrative, his bold, clear-eyed prose never
lags. His story tells us a great deal about America in the middle
decades of the 20th century, about the operations of race, class (and
the violence of prejudice) permeated and, in a sad way, defined a
society.' The Guardian
'A lucid study of crime and justice in 1960s America…compelling.'
Independent on Sunday
'Junger's storytelling is at its best when weaving the case's minute
detail into the larger picture of the dark times experienced by the US
in the 1960s.' Financial Times
'It is written in the beautifully cool, precise, easy style of the best
American journalism. There is a fascinating detail on every page.' Mail
on Sunday
'An interesting meditation on the American judicial and penal systems
and, in particular, their attitude to the issue of race'. Daily Telegraph
'Junger masterfully draws out his narrative out of the labyrinthine
investigation.' Observer Sebastian Junger grew up in New England and
has worked as a tree-feller, Bosnian correspondent, journalist and
adventurer. His first book, 'The Perfect Storm', spent over four years
on the bestseller lists and its film adaptation was a huge box-office
success. Junger is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and winner of
the National Magazine Award for Reporting. He has also written for
magazines including Harper's, the New York Times Magazine, and National
Geographic Adventure.
