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Mini Book Reviews: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Denton Little's Death Date

Mini Book Reviews

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain (1934)- 1.5/5 Stars

This book was not what I was expecting and I did not enjoy it. The dialogue was full of confusing back-and-forth exchanges without any indication of who was speaking. I had to read conversations over multiple times to decipher who was saying each line. The book did highlight the difference between noir fiction and hardboiled detective fiction for me and made me realize that I much prefer hardboiled. This was a true example of noir in that the protagonist has deep flaws and the overall tone is grim and grisly. Greed, lust, and jealousy are the driving forces in this novel, but not in a glamorous, intriguing way (i.e. The Maltese Falcon). James Cain shows the bleak underbelly of society without any noble characters. The ending of the story boosted my rating to 1.5 stars instead of just 1 star, but I couldn’t get past the bad taste in my mouth that remained from the earlier parts of the story.



Denton Little’s Death Date (2015)- 4/5 Stars

Dark humor makes Denton Little’s Death Date a cute and quirky story about a high school senior who is about to die. I love the concept of people knowing their “death dates” and all the interesting traditions that would go along with that. The awkwardness of attending one’s own funeral is both strange and hilarious. Denton’s narration feels genuine and the writing style is casual and honest. He is caught up in both the typical woes of teenage drama and the (literally) deadly serious events on the horizon. Author Lance Rubin does a great job of capturing the mind of a teenager in a funny and authentic way. This book deals with death in a lighthearted but relatable manner, especially for teens and young adults. The end is a bit of a cliffhanger so I will be reading the sequel. This book is a fun read with a unique and intriguing plot.

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