The Postman Always Rings Twice starts with the now famous sentence:
“They threw me off the haytruck about noon…”
It’s the early 1930ies. Frank Chambers is a 24-year-old drifter who comes north from Mexico and ends up in Glendale, California, just east of Los Angeles. He stops at a rural diner for a meal. He talks with the owner, an older Greek immigrant by the name of Nick Papdakis, who offers him a job helping with the gas station, filling up cars and doing occasional repairs. Nick’s much younger and beautiful wife, Cora, runs the diner. She cooks and serves the meals.
The minute Frank and Cora’s eyes meet there is strong sexual tension between them and soon they are a couple behind the old Greek’s back. It does not take long before they plot to kill Nick to be able to be together.
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a crime novel that became an instant success when it was first published in 1934. It’s print length is 399 pages and due to the fast pace it’s a quick read. It is still considered one of the most famous crime novels of the 20th century. It is also on my list of the 100 Greatest Novels on slot 98.
