As Thanksgiving break approaches, the SAS Book Club has selected a much different work of fiction to read over the ten-day vacation. Club members chose the very old novel by James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice. This book was published in 1934, Cain's debut piece. The author has written many "hard-boiled" crime novels; Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce and The Embezzler are but a few. Once you've read this particular book, you may wonder what the title has to do with the story. An interesting explanation can be found here, in a Library of Congress blog post.
English department chair, Dr. Martha Pitts, gave the club members a list of four books in which to choose - three rather contemporary works and the 90-yr old winner.
The narrative of "The Postman," is intense with characters making choices with profound consequences. The book has left a lasting impact on crime fiction. The club's previous selection, Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson,(oddly enough, same publishing house and another author's debut novel), is a diametrically different type of fiction. According to club co-leader Madeleine Lampietti '24, although she felt the characters were not well-developed and the ending was not very satisfying, she overall enjoyed the book. Madeleine reported that the book club meeting to discuss Pineapple Street was well attended on Sunday, October 29th. She indicated there was a lively discussion about the book held at the Gilheany/Mead house, complete with cookies, hot cocoa and a beautiful view of Noxontown Pond.
Students will read over the break, meet when they come back, and make another selection for the winter holiday break. Stay tuned.