Ah, Cain. What a great storyteller. ( )

Really interesting, especially when read through the lens that it influenced Camus' The Stranger. Feels most certainly like it must have unless it was just "in the air' like Voltaire's Candid and Johnson's Rasselas. Frank is a close prototype to The Stranger. A sociopath of sorts whom still is able to garner a certain amount of sympathy though I am not sure that Frank flirts with actual admiration as The Stranger does.

Maybe the most intriguing thing about the whole book is the title. Not a single postman nor doorbell in the book so far as I recall, but the more one thinks about the title and why Cain used it, the more it seems apt. I should probably read about the title's gestation. ( )

Capolavoro proprio no. ( )

4.5 stars
Despite the fact the characters in this thriller are not at all appealing, I really enjoyed this! Cain pulls you in and the book is a fast & compelling read.

Of course, having seen the classic film with Lana Turner & John Garfield, I knew the basic plot. I think that the book is even better than the film so I might end up increasing my rating... ( )

A fine contribution to American literature, building on themes central to the Naturalist movement. Could go well as a double-feature with Sister Carrie. ( )