30 Books Before I'm 30: The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This novel is the factual account of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. In the forward, Larson notes that everything that is in quotes comes from either letters or written statements, and that everything else comes from extensive research. He focuses the story on two men: Daniel Burnham, who was the brains behind the construction and presentation of the World's Fair buildings, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, who used the fair as a way to funnel single females into his Murder Motel. Holmes is considered to be America's first serial killer, and his exploits are disturbing. 

It was really easy to get through this book once I really made the commitment, but it was initially difficult because Larson vacillates between two essentially unrelated topics. He even says explicitly that Burnham and Holmes never met. I couldn't tell whether Larson set out to tell a story about Holmes but needed to flesh it out (pardon the pun) with information about the cultural climate that led to such atrocities (not just the murders, but that Holmes got away with it for a ridiculous amount of time), or that he wanted to write about the World's Fair and needed something to spice it up. Either way, it is incredibly fascinating but disjointed and at times very frustrating when I get into a storyline and then have it switched in the next chapter.

Things I Liked: Once it got going, this book was hard to put down. I zoomed through it. Larson did an impressive amount of research and gives details that color the landscape well. I love stories about America at the turn of the century, and this book made me desperately wish to travel back in time and attend the World's Fair and walk around in the buildings that were described. 

Things I Didn't Like: In an effort to make his novel a page-turner, Larson gives little nuggets of information and then hints at the importance it will play later in the story. For instance, Holmes had an assistant that had a few kids, and Larson says, essentially, "These kids are important! I'll be coming back to them!" But toward the end of the book Larson had so many storylines going it was hard to keep them all straight. I couldn't remember all of the people he had told me were important! 

Also, there weren't enough pictures. For fiction novels I hate pictures, but when the author is writing about real people that really designed real buildings? I want to see more of it. Perhaps if the book had been about one man or the other (Burnham or Holmes) then there would have been more room for more pictures, but it's also possible that he just couldn't get the picture reprinting rights.

Best Place to Read this Book: On the beach or anywhere that you can be undisturbed for several hours (it can be engrossing).

I would recommend this book to: people with an interest in history, architecture, or serial killers and psychology.

I would also recommend: the documentary H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer by John Borowski. It's on Netflix streaming right now.