Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Although Berendt meets many characters prior to Williams, Williams figures prominently in Chapter 1. One of the first sentences in the book is about Williams’s eyes, which are “so black they were like the tinted windows of a sleek limousine—he could see out, but you couldn’t see in” (3). Describe the nature of Berendt’s relationship with Williams. Citing evidence from the text, how well does the author actually know Williams?

To what extent is Williams privileged due to his wealth and his business reputation? To what extent is he discriminated against for his sexuality and his modest background?

John Berendt is the book’s first-person narrator, and Odom playfully refers to Berendt as a “Yankee.” As a Northern outsider, how is the author able to see the insider’s view of Savannah? How does Berendt’s identity, writing as a heterosexual, white male, inform his insider status? How might the story change if the narrator were a marginalized figure—such as black, gay, or female?

The Author’s Note raises questions about the line between fiction and nonfiction. In later interviews, the author admits he didn’t meet Williams until after the murder trial. In the book, Berendt expands his role in the story: He inserts himself into the narrative, such as during the explosive scene in the Mercer House when Hansford yells at Williams in Chapter 1. He also inserts himself into the graveyard scene with Minerva and Williams in Chapter 18. What do these changes add to the story? To what extent is Berendt (as depicted in the book) an observer, and to what extent is he a participant? Should this work be considered a work of fiction or nonfiction?

Mary Harty discusses Savannah’s resistance to change, and the author reiterates this in the last chapter, praising the environment that allowed such exotic and unique characters to flourish. But in what ways are less desirable aspects, such as class divisions, racism, and homophobia, also allowed to flourish in this environment? This book has been credited with a huge increase in tourism to Savannah, but to what extent is this book praising the town, and to what extent is this book an indictment of the town?

The book presents the evidence produced in Williams’s four trials as well as the gossip surrounding the trials. Berendt includes the opinions of many residents, who act as an unofficial jury. Can the reader judge whether Williams is innocent or guilty?

Why does Berendt break from the narrative and spend Chapter 24 on the black debutante ball as he covers the four murder trials?

The author makes references to the Savannah tour guides and their “prim and proper” speeches that they give to tourists. In what ways is his book a different kind of tour of Savannah? How does Berendt’s book give the reader a broader picture of Savannah?