While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family
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List Price: $25.00
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Manufacturer: Random House
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.15230979527
EAN: 9781400065424
ISBN: 1400065429
Label: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2008-06-10
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 2008-06-10
Studio: Random House
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Editorial Reviews:
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Early on an April morning, eighteen-year-old Billy Frank Gilley, Jr., killed his sleeping parents. Surprised in the act by his younger sister, Becky, he turned on her as well. Billy then climbed the stairs to the bedroom of his other sister, Jody, and said, “We’re free.”
But is one ever free after an unredeemable act of violence? The Gilley family murders ended a lifetime of physical and mental abuse suffered by Billy and Jody at the hands of their parents. And it required each of the two survivors–one a convicted murderer, the other suddenly an orphan–to create a new identity, a new life.
In this mesmerizing book, bestselling writer Kathryn Harrison brilliantly uncovers the true story behind a shocking and unforgettable crime as she explores the impact of escalating violence and emotional abuse visited on the children of a deeply troubled family. With an artistry that recalls Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song, and her own The Kiss, Harrison reveals the antecedents of the murders–of a crime of such violence that it had the power to sever past from present–and the consequences for Billy and for Jody. Weaving in meditations on her own experience of parental abuse, Harrison searches out answers to the question of how survivors of violent trauma shape a future when their lives have been divided into Before and After.
Based on interviews with Billy and Jody as well as with friends, police, and social workers involved in the case, While They Slept is Kathryn Harrison’s unflinching inquiry into the dark heart of violence in an American family, and a personal quest to understand how young people go on after tragedy–to examine the extent as well as the limits of psychic resilience. The New York Times called Kathryn Harrison’s The Kiss “a powerful piece of writing, a testament to evil and hope.” The same could be said about While They Slept.
PRAISE FOR WHILE THEY SLEPT
“Harrison does a magnificent job of sorting through the heartbreak of a family tragedy. By adding insights into her own life, she brings us a little closer to understanding the resilience of the human spirit and the irrevocable damage and unforeseen consequences of child and sexual abuse.”
–USA Today
“The result of Harrison's masterful embellishment is a fascinating and comprehensive examination of the before and after of a brutal triple murder, of the cyclical nature of violence and of the tragic ineffectiveness of our social support systems…While They Slept does not provide the easy answers we hope to discover in ‘just the facts,’ but it offers instead the richer and more enduring illumination of ‘the story.’”
–L.A. Times
“Her telling brings moral clarity to the dark fate of a family: the daylight gaze of narrative itself as a form of empathy.”
–New York Times Book Review, cover review
“A powerful account…This excellent book will be devoured by educators who try to come to grips with the lasting effects of the traumas of childhood.”
–Deseret Morning News
“Harrison offers careful research and obvious concern… While They Slept’s real horror is in how many potential helpers were aware of the abuse and were unable to help. This is a heartbreaking read.”
–Rocky Mountain News
“Kathryn Harrison pulls the reader through the story of the 1984 triple murder in Medford–our own backyard–with such speed and excitement it feels like you’re watching an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent…Harrison perfectly paces the revelations of new characters, who add critical information and perspective to the Gilley murder.”
–Willamette Weekly
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An unconvential take to an old genre
Comment: I have never read a true crime book where the author inserted so much of herself into the narrative. She works through her own pain and family problems while exploring those of another young woman. Read "The Kiss" first then read this. Her story has helped me work through pain in my own life and I owe her a debt of gratitude.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bending the Genre
Comment: I found Kathyrn Harrison's new book riveting. I read a lot of true crime, but quickly realized by page one of the forward that this book does not belong in that genre. Harrison approached this tragic case for personal reasons, a deep and uneasy curiosity that stemmed from her woundedness because of an incestuous relationship with her father.
Harrison's unflinching honesty in her hesitant, then brave investigation into the murders, resonated a dark beat of truth about how physical wounds leave psychic scars that twist the very depths of the soul. I found it to be an illuminating book with regard to trying to understand the origin of acts of violence and the struggle to survive them. However, this is not a criminal investigation into this case, and anyone who approaches it as one will be disappointed.
Ultimatley, my fascination lay in Harrison's personal journey laid bare. Harrison approached the genre with integrity and delicately bent the boundaries to fit her deep need to try to gain understanding from any parallels it might hold with the act of violence that changed her life forever.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fell Short
Comment: I found this book enjoyable (as much as a book about such a topic can be), but also enlightening. Harrison attempts to embark on a study of murder, but not in the voyeuristic retelling of so many conventional "true crime" books. She wants to prove that there is a schism in a person when a tragedy occurs: a "dead" person who once lived, but who is lost forever because a trauma has forced a new person to be reborn.
Although I think she took an interesting approach to the book, in retrospect it seems weak. I was never sure if she was arguing that there is a schism, or if she assumed there is and that the point had already been made. In the end, it seems as though her book was to argue for this point, but throughout the book she took this point for granted. There are also numerous times when this point is left undiscussed for so long the reader forgets about it.
Harrison's personal tragedy is woven into the story of the Gilley's, which does not seem inappropriate given that this is why she is writing this book. My problem with the inclusion of herself is that she is never consistent. She breaks up interesting passages about the Gilleys to interject her own story, and then there is a drought for dozens of pages.
The worst of her mistakes is her syntax is so confusing at times that I had to reread passages multiple times. It broke up the flow of the work, and really just confused me. She is obviously a talented writer, so such distractions are disappointing.
The story of the Gilley family is remarkable. The honesty of Jody and Billy bring such different perspectives. Harrison's insights and analysis of the evidence is daring and provocative. Harrison forces the reader to inspect every story, letter, and interview from every possible angle. While you may have sympathies for Jody, you eventually find some compassion for Billy, Becky, and even their parents. But ultimately Harrison proves she is overwhelming supporting Jody. Jody's perspective is assumed to be the "truth" at the cost of others.
In the end, it was a truly interesting and provocative read, with only Harrison getting in her own way to spoil it. The material was frank, graphic, and sometimes difficult to read. If you find abuse and trauma unbearable to think about, let alone read about, this may not be the book for you. Although the book was hopeful, it still deals with difficult subject matter.
I doubt I will ever read it again, but I am glad I read it now.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Somebody is Still Sleeping...
Comment: If I did not know the main characters in this book, I probably would have found it a satisfying read. For several years, my family home was next door to the rural house in which Billy, Linda and Becky were attacked. I attended their triple funeral, and later, Billy Jr.'s trial. Many questions arose for me at that trial, and this book does not help resolve them in any way. If anything, it raises more.
Billy, Jr.'s consecutive sentences are currently under review. While he does not claim he is not guilty, even the Supreme Court has agreed evidence that should have been presented at his trial perhaps was not, and therefore his sentences may be eligible to be served concurrently. I felt that the author was overly sympathetic to the surviving sister, in some semi-twisted hope of identifying with her (there is shared tragedy in their lives). There were several times I wanted to tell the author to get a good therapist. Her personal story is an inappropriate addition to the story of the Gilleys: Three murdered souls have earned their own book, don't you think?
To the author's credit, the book was written well. It was engrossing and easy to read; I suspect that someone who was not there would get more out of this book than I did. I do not claim that the information it contains is inaccurate. I was simply disappointed that the investigation itself was not more closely detailed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: interesting...sad story
Comment: I enjoyed this book. It brings you into a sad world of a family. I liked this booked because each chapter brought me closer to people involved. Sad,but it shows how disfunctional a family can be. Well written and the author invested time and emotion to the topic. good read.
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