damieng's Full Review: James M. Cain - The Postman Always Rings Twice Boo...
As a lover of noir fiction, it was with relish that I started on the book that is said to have defined the genre and then with delight over the vast range of emotions covered in such a short book. It’s a bleak story of love and hate that epitomises the noir genre. The violence and lust that starts the story gives way to fear and greed before a creeping sense of despair and hopelessness drives a wedge between Frank and Cora. There will be no winners in this powerful story.
Violence and Lust
The story opens as Frank Chambers is kicked off the back of a truck outside a rural diner. Frank Chambers is a drifter and hustler who has spent his whole adult life on the road picking up meals and cash where he can. While eating at the diner the owner, a Greek man named Nick Papadakis offers him a job as a mechanic in his gas station. Frank is about to blow him off when he catches sight of Cora, Nick’s wife. Frank sums up his first impression of her thus:
Except for her shape, she really wasn’t any raving beauty, but she had a sulky look to her, and her lips stuck out in a way that made me want to mash them in for her.
Cora is a former small-town beauty queen who made do with a man she has grown tired of and is now disgusted by. The affair that follows is fast and brutal and it isn’t long before Cora has professed the revulsion she feels for her boorish husband and of her desire to be free of him. Believing they are in love they agree that the key to their happiness together is to rid themselves of Nick Papadakis.
Fear and Greed, Deception and Suspicion
Fear of getting caught, fear of being sold out by the other, fear of a possible unknown witness are all central to the uncertainty the pair face. But the number one fear comes from not really knowing anything about the type of person they have become a co-conspirator with. During the court case that follows Nick’s death, the true ruthless characteristics of Frank and Cora are revealed as first one and then the other betrays their lover in an effort to save themselves. When dealing with two morally bankrupt people such as Frank and Cora, trust and sympathy are not in plentiful supply and this is the case after the murder has been committed. It’s everyone for themselves when it comes time to slipping the hangman’s noose.
Despair and Hopelessness
The murderous, adulterous couple have carefully plotted and carried out their plan with straightforward efficiency, fully expecting that the result will bring them together to live in peace and happiness. But Frank is still a drifter who doesn’t like to be tied down and Cora is still a roadside diner cook and it doesn’t take them long to realise that they both want different lives and they don’t necessarily want to spend it with each other. Their situation is worsened by the fact that when it comes right down to it, neither trusts the other and they feel they are now tied together, for better or worse. They both quickly become emotional wrecks, haunted by their criminal actions and by their mistrust of each other. This will ultimately lead to the payoff where they will have to pay for their crimes (after all it is noir).
James M. Cain delivers an amazingly complex crime novel that is told using an economical style that cuts right to the heart of every grimy criminal action and the consequences that follow. He has hit bang on the head of the psychology of the love triangle, the passion involved and the serious results that come from following rashly conceived ideas. In this taut book where flowery description is stripped bare, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE packs more plot twists, emotion and damning character studies than most books can ever hope to.
This is my Excellent entry in the Excellent and Excruciating Write-Off hosted by the excruciatingly excellent slarter and captaind .
My excruciating entry is Final Round
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.