There’s something that bothers me about some of these old time pulp novels when the protagonists are the criminals. In so many of them, a drifter, low-end job, no-good man hooks up with a woman, and then the two of them commit a crime together. Frequently a murder. The question is, why do they hook up, and so quickly? In James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice the drifter rolls into town, and despite the fact that he’s worthless a woman is telling him to bite her lip within 24 hours. A married woman no less. I suppose I can sort of understand why he’s doing it, except that right off he says she wasn’t any raving beauty
. And yet there’s something else that attracts him. I can understand wanting to get busy with an attractive woman. I’m male; not a day goes by I don’t think about schtupping someone. But why would a lifetime drifter all of a sudden stay so interested in a woman that’s going to tie him down? I just don’t get the motivation for either of them.
So anyway, the crime the two of them plot is to off the woman’s husband, Nick Papadakis. Why? Because he’s a greasy Greek and the woman feels dirty sleeping next to him. They don’t just run away. No, despite there not being any money in it for them, just a restaurant, they decide to off him. Only they aren’t too smart and murder is difficult to plan. Will they pull it off? And if they do, are they smart enough to get away with it? And can the two of them stick together?
Of course, this is noir. One really shouldn’t think too much about noir. It’s all about mood and chemistry. The mood is pretty deftly done. The chemistry? I guess the 1930s style of writing just doesn’t impart chemistry between our two anti-heroes to me. But it might have to the folks back then.
Despite my negative sounding comments, this isn’t all that bad. Just me thinking a bit too much I suppose.
Title: The postman always rings twice
Author: James M. Cain
Cover creator: James Steinberg
Imprint / publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard / Random House
Format: Paperback
Length: 116 p.
Publication date: August 1992
ISBN-10: 0-679-72325-0
LC classification: PS3505.A3113
