I found this a tough read, to be honest. It’s exceptionally well done, but so bleak that it’s pretty hard going.
The narrator is Frank, a drifter and hustler who blows into a roadside diner near the Mexican border. The owner, a Greek called Nick, offers him work and treats him well, but there is a powerful attraction between Frank and Nick’s wife, Cora. Cora is repelled by her husband and eventually she and Frank agree between them to kill him. Frank’s narrative is largely about how they go about it and how they deal with the aftermath of what they do. There is trust and betrayal, plenty of tension and an involving story.
The thing is, Frank is such an amoral, almost emotionally blank protagonist (with something of Camus’ L’Etranger about him) that I found the whole thing rather repellent. There is sexual passion and self-interest but little else evident in him, so while he is a very believable character, it is hard to engage with him at all. This is quite deliberate on Cain’s part and he does it very well indeed, but it’s not easy to take. There is some pretty naked racism, although it is a part of the illustration of the characters of Frank and Cora. There is also a persistent and very disturbing notion (not uncommon at the time) that women are sexually aroused by being physically abused. All of this, especially in difficult times, doesn’t make for an easy read.
So, I’m ambivalent about this book. I can see that it is a fine work, but I can’t say that I enjoyed reading it.
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