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The Postman Always Rings Twice

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A drifter named Frank becomes entangled in a stormy affair with a married woman named Cora, leading them to plot a murder. The narrative unfolds in a hard-boiled detective style without the mystery element, focusing on the characters' hardened nature and their willingness to do anything to fulfill their desires. The story is set in a depression-era America, showcasing dark and violent themes with spare descriptions and authentic dialogues.

The plot revolves around obsession, passion, murder, and violence set in a prosaic roadside gas station cafe. The characters, Frank and Cora, are portrayed as morally revolting yet compelling, leading to a shocking and abrupt conclusion akin to a hangman's noose. The book is described as a classic piece of noir fiction, exploring the dark tragedy of the human heart with a narrative that unfolds with a feeling of inevitability and moral logic.

Characters:

The characters are deeply flawed, embodying a sense of desperation and moral decay, with Frank and Cora at the center of a tumultuous and destructive affair.

Writing/Prose:

The author employs a spare and direct writing style, relying heavily on dialogue to drive the narrative and create a sense of immediacy.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative unfolds a compelling tale of a drifter and a desperate woman whose affair leads to murder, showcasing themes of lust and betrayal within a rapidly moving plot.

Setting:

The story is set against the backdrop of Depression-era California, utilizing settings that reinforce its themes of struggle and moral ambiguity.

Pacing:

The narrative moves quickly, maintaining tension through a rapid succession of events and twists.
They threw me off the hay truck about noon. I had swung on the night before, down at the border, and as soon as I got up there under the canvas, I went to sleep. I needed plenty of that, after three w...

Notes:

The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934 and is considered a classic of the noir genre.
James M. Cain's first novel, it was controversial for its themes of sex and violence, leading to it being banned in Boston at the time.
The book inspired two film adaptations, one in 1946 starring Lana Turner and John Garfield, and another in 1981 featuring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.
The story follows drifter Frank Chambers, who becomes romantically involved with Cora, the wife of diner owner Nick Papadakis.
Central to the plot is the couple's scheme to murder Nick to be together, showcasing themes of lust, greed, and betrayal.
Cora's character reflects the hardships of women in the Depression era, feeling trapped in both her marriage and societal expectations.
The novel's title refers to the notion that fate inevitably returns to deliver consequences, paralleling a sense of poetic justice in the narrative.
Cain's writing style is noted for its terseness, with spare dialogue that emphasizes action over description.
The book explores themes of moral ambiguity and the chaos of desire, reflecting the darker sides of the human psyche.
It has been credited with helping to define the hard-boiled crime fiction genre, along with authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Triggers and content warnings include themes of violence, murder, infidelity, sexual violence, and racism.

Has Romance?

The novel contains a high degree of romance, characterized by a passionate and destructive affair between Frank and Cora.

From The Publisher:

An amoral young tramp. A beautiful, sullen woman with an inconvenient husband. A problem that has only one grisly solution-a solution that only creates other problems that no one can ever solve.

First published in 1934 and banned in Boston for its explosive mixture of violence and eroticism, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic of the roman noir. It established James M. Cain as a major novelist with an unsparing vision of America's bleak underside, and was acknowledged by Albert Camus as the model for The Stranger.

Ratings (9)

Liked It (5)
It Was OK (4)

Reader Stats (23):

Read It (10)
Want To Read (12)
Not Interested (1)

1 comment(s)

It Was OK
7 months

I didn't know what to expect from this book. At first I was excited because it's a famous classic crime story. But then I read that this book inspired Albert Camus to write The Stranger. I finished this book about two weeks ago and it wasn't my style. So I started to worry that I wouldn't like James M. Cain book either. It turned out to be good in the end, although I wish some things were different.

I really like when the main character of my books is a murderer, and the whole plot of the book is to hide the crime he has committed. This is one of my favorite themes. And I liked it here.

I liked the way Frank thought through the crime he wanted to commit. But also how coincidence interferes in his plans. Even if he had it really well planned. Frank is an intelligent main character who uses his cleverness mainly to ensure a comfortable life. Of course, he has a lot of flaws. I don't think I liked him, but I respect him to some extent. I certainly appreciate his intelligence.

I would say this is largely a psychological thriller. The author showed not only the thought processes of the main characters that led them to commit the crime, but also how they feel after the murder. It is also about a power struggle between Frank and Cora, as well as between this couple and others involved in the investigation.

The ending disappointed me a bit. But perhaps at the time this book was written, it could not have been different. Such was the aesthetics and morality of those years.

 

About the Author:

James M. Cain was a first-rate writer of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Born in Baltimore in 1892, Cain began his career as a reporter, serving in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I and writing for the newspaper of…

 
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