2.24.2012

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain


The Postman Always Rings Twice is one of the first American classic crime noir novels. I probably wouldn't have picked this book up as soon as I did if it weren't for the Smooth Criminal challenge. I wouldn't say classic American crime is something I gravitate toward all that often, which is one of the main reasons I joined this challenge - to expand my reading horizons! Even though this was published in 1934, the novel reads like it could have been written within the last decade. Frank, a onetime criminal and longtime drifter, finds himself in a suburb of LA and takes a job at a roadside diner, on account of the Greek owner's knockout of a wife, Cora. (Even though she has dark hair, she's not Mexican you guys.) Frank and Cora are quickly drawn to each other and decide they must get rid of the "greasy" Greek in hopes of living happily ever after. What follows is a series of events that go from bad to worse. 

This book is known for its violence and eroticism, and was even banned in Boston upon its publication. I rather enjoyed the bits of sexual violence Cain included - they weren't over the top (by today's standards, anyway) but proved to be just enough to keep my interest piqued. And the end! Let's just say I was quite satisfied. The novel as a whole examines the animal instincts of man and the amoral nature of human kind.

From the beginning the title of this novel intrigued me and I was eager to find its reference within the text. I thought it may reference some sort of secret code between Frank and Cora, something that would help them to sneak around the Greek in the first half of the novel. To my disappointment, neither a postman nor a man ringing twice appears, or is even alluded to. After a quick google search I discovered there doesn't seem to be a definitive reason for the title. There are speculations that it referenced an actual murder case, but Cain apparently himself noted it came from a conversation he had with a screenwriter friend. 

I'm still not certain what exactly constitutes a book as noir, but having read a few I'm starting to get a better idea. Postman is a slim novel that I enjoyed reading. Overall the book is well-paced, brutal, and altogether thrilling. 

I read this book for the Smooth Criminals challenge, fulfilling a noir classic.

Publisher: Vintage, 1934

22 comments:

  1. Great book. You could argue that it's the template of noir, since it has all the hallmarks of the genre-- sex, deceit, murder... all doomed from the get-go. If you ever get the chance, check out his DOUBLE INDEMNITY also. Same themes, and equally compelling.

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation! I'm also interested in Mildred Pierce.

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  2. Heath's right. I love DOUBLE INDEMNITY. I'm glad you liked Cain. He's the starting point of noir. It's a classic, but the genre has evolved a lot since then and drifted from its original meaning. But all for the best.

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    1. What was the genre's original meaning?

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    2. Basically, the original noir was a story with no heroes. Only bad guys, people neck deep in problems they have started themselves.

      It's still somewhat right, but it's a lot more personal now. Like Anthony Neil Smith said, sometimes it's on the verge of psychological horror. It's about the emotional and psychological toll of taking bad life decisions (that mostly have to do with crime). It's a world where there's no redemption.

      On and Heath's history of hardboiled/noir is great. Takes about an hour to read. I can't recommend it enough.

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    3. Thanks for answering my question. I think I will read Heath's history of noir when I've got an hour to spare. It's such an interesting genre.

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  3. I haven't read this, but I'm a huge fan of noir film and have watched so much of it. A couple years ago, I lined up my Netflix queue with every noir film I could. I referenced a list I found but cannot find the link to. This is a great flick, though it's not my favorite.

    Double Indemnity is great, and anything by Hammett or Chandler is great in my book.

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    1. I'd be interested to watch some noir films. If I have, I've done it without realizing they are noir. What was one of your favorites?

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  4. I know you weren't asking me, Brenna, but I'm piping in anyway... ha. Here's a link to my all time favorite film noirs: http://psychonoir.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-favorite-films-noir.html

    And if you're interested in the history of the genre in print, I wrote this thingie: https://sites.google.com/site/noirfictionguide/

    I always get excited when someone is first discovering this amazing world of underground literature and film... so forgive my enthusiasm.

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    1. Heath that is so helpful! Thanks for the links. :)

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  5. I just watched this movie and they explain the title at the end. I'm assuming the movie and book have the same ending, but I haven't read it. The main character said the postman always rings twice if he doesn't get you the first time (in his case, he's not caught the first time and so the "postman" rang twice). I'll have to read this one. As far as great noir movies, I love Double Indemnity and Maltese Falcone.

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    1. Yeah that definitely doesn't happen in the book. Maybe besides that the ending is the same. I don't know I haven't seen the movie. Which version did you watch?

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  6. I'm almost thinking I should switch out one of my Smooth Criminal books for this one cos this sounds interesting. Although I'm sad there is no explanation for that title. I'd rather a stupid reason or a pretentious reason than no reason.

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    1. What are you reading for your noir classic?

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    2. I picked Double Indemnity. I'm pretty sure I literally tossed a coin to pick what book to pick for the noir classic category. We'll see which one I go with

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    3. Well Heath and Ben both said great things about Double Indemnity so I'd be interested to hear you thoughts on that one!

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  7. I tend to like the older stuff like this better than some of the new in your face mystery/detective stuff bc in order to not cross the accepted line since the authors were concerned with readers reading and buying their books, they had to write better in some cases...they couldn't depend on the kind of shocking, glorified sex, language, and violence that some authors do today. I think I have this one on my shelf somewhere...

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    1. I'm still pretty new to the noir genre but you're definitely right, it's quite different from the crime writing out there today. Or at least the mainstream stuff.

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  8. I read this for the Smooth Criminals challenge as well. To be honest, I was expecting something completely cheesy, but I was surprised by how smart and snappy the prose was. And that Cora gal...

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    1. I didn't know what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised that I got into it.

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  9. I read this a few years ago and so had put Cain's Mildred Pierce on my reading list for the Smooth Criminals challenge. Hmm...maybe I should change that to Double Indemnity?

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