Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Savannah entices the author and the reader with its lush beauty and remote setting, in stark contrast to crowded, overpriced New York. Lurid tales of the past and fantastical creatures of the present delight and surprise the author, who states that it is Savannah’s unique setting that allows the odd and eccentric to thrive. It is hard to imagine any setting other than Savannah for Luther Driggers barhopping with his glow in the dark goldfish or the flamboyant Lady Chablis dancing at the black debutante ball. Savannah surprises with its seeming inclusivity of a wide spectrum of behavior and people. While Part 1 delights in portrayals of the oddballs and the eccentrics, the entertainers and the entertained, Part 2 explores how Savannah is not immune from the plagues of snobbery, convention, anti-Semitism, racism, and homophobia.

The murder trial brings out the fact that Savannah may not be as supportive of diversity as the colorful cast of characters suggests. In some ways, Savannah is full of conventional stereotypes and discrimination. For example, Williams describes how the elite members of Savannah society are rule-bound, deviating little from expectations: “Men from Savannah’s good families are born into a pecking order they can never get out of” (235).