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.
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this so much. I never thought I would care so much for noir. I listened via audio version narrated by Stanley Tucci which I’d highly recommend. Amazing tone and voice intonation, met all my expectations for a book like this. Complete with the music, dramatization with singing lines which was fun. I’d recommend it to anyone like me who is acquainted with the genre, but has never really read it. Simple as that, I even surprised myself.
The Story
A lot of implication here. Clever. Both nuanced and straightforward, always right to the heart.
The Writing
Precise and deliberate, I love this style. Linear and rich.
Website post
View all my reviews