I've never been an avid reader of historical non-fiction simply because history has never been something that has fascinated me. I know, sounds terrible, but outside of school I never had the compulsion to research and learn too much about the world's history. However, something about "The Devil in the White City" caught my eye. In all honesty it was because of the story of H.H. Holmes: America's first serial killer. Having always been fascinated by serial killers, I could not pass up the chance to learn a bit about how the practices and infamy all began.
What's so striking and different about this book as opposed to many works of history is Erik Larson's ability to blend narrative and non-fiction seamlessly. If I didn't know any better, I would've sworn that this was a work of narrative fiction because of Larson's keen eye for detail, character, and storytelling.
This book is like nothing I've ever read before. The juxtaposition of the construction and inspiration behind one of the world's most marvelous events, and Herman Mudgett's (aka Henry Howard Holmes) forays in the dark, seething underbelly of the world, is almost enough to make Homles' escapades seem beautiful and the White City's rise to extravagance seem haunting and conniving. In reality each series of events are one in the same, which is the point that Larson has made with this tantalizing work of prose.
What stood out the most within these dreary pages was the ease with which Holmes was able to carry out the macabre desires breeding inside of him. He made his money by swindling insurance companies and businessmen, while meticulously murdering women and children right in front of everyone's eyes. This conspicuousness is due in part to the simple fact that the motives and practices behind the socio/psychopath was still relatively unknown and the idea of murder without motive was so strikingly unfathomable that people just did not, could not, see what was right in front of them. Case in point: Holmes spent over a year constructing his castle in Englewood, IL, just outside of Chicago, with the sole purpose of feeding off of the rising amount of single women that were frolicking to Chicago in hopes of a new, successful life within the ever-growing populace of one of America's greatest cities. His castle consisted of hidden corridors, basement vaults, chutes, and kilns, all tucked away amidst hotel rooms, apartments, and shopfronts. He employed a plethora of carpenters and construction workers to help build, firing them one by one after only a couple weeks worth of work, so as to keep the actual intent of the building secret from everyone but Holmes himself. So telling of the era of innocence and hope in a country crumbling beneath an economic collapse that this would breed pure evil to prey upon the naivety of citizens so full of hope.
On top of that is the story of visionary architect Daniel Burnham, who was bestowed with the daunting task of commanding the World's Fair of Chicago. The trials and triumphs he surpassed during this trying time in America's history are truly awe-inspiring. With the seemingly impossible task of besting the Paris Columbian Exposition, Burnham accomplished what would go on to define America as a nation: the insatiable need to be the biggest, best, and most elegant nation in the history of the world. The World's Fair changed the world and ultimately shaped the land of innovation and dreams. It was the first place to house the Ferris Wheel, which was built in an attempt to out-do the Eiffel Tower in scope and magnitude; the first exposition to use entirely incandescent lighting to illuminate the city, which would go on to be the main source of electric light throughout the country; and it was a testament to all the glory that America could be, spawning hundreds of similar expositions and fairs around the globe.
Larson has crafted a beautiful narrative that transcends genre and expectation. He has chronicled the birth of the American Dream and outlined the fragile and thin veil that separates good from evil. "Devil in the White City" is a truly inspiring story, one that will hopefully continue to motivate this great nation henceforth as the actual events have in the past. Never have I had so much fun learning about one of America's most tenuous times as a nation. It is simply a morbid delight.
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