One question hangs over every evaluation of “La Côte Basque, 1965,” and that is this: Why? Why would Truman Capote deploy his singular literary talents against a group of people who had not only taken him into their confidence, and their homes, and onto their yachts and private planes, but who also had the distinct ability to end his access to the privileged life he yearned to enjoy? And if he was going to do it, why would he release the most vicious and incendiary chapter before finishing and publishing the book?
