Rainbow's End
Published on 21. May 2024
227 pages
978-1-5040-9474-0 (ISBN)
Description
"Vintage Cain... it's all here-the big money, the unusual circumstances, the spare, tight style, and the staccato dialogue." -
The Miami Herald
Since his father died, every Saturday night has been the same for Dave and his mother. She starts to talk, weaving aimless, weird fantasies about get-rich-quick schemes that never amount to anything. But when, finally, she is silent, Dave becomes afraid. Because his mother has a way of getting very close that is repellent and appealing all at once, and he's terrified of where it might lead...
One Saturday, a noise outside breaks the silence. A hijacker has parachuted from a stolen plane with a parachute, a hundred thousand dollars in cash, and one very frightened stewardess. Against all the odds, the thief thinks he's gotten away with it. But he doesn't know just what Dave's mother will do for an easy payday-and a chance to make her son a happy man...
"[Cain is] one of the greats of American noir." - The Guardian
Since his father died, every Saturday night has been the same for Dave and his mother. She starts to talk, weaving aimless, weird fantasies about get-rich-quick schemes that never amount to anything. But when, finally, she is silent, Dave becomes afraid. Because his mother has a way of getting very close that is repellent and appealing all at once, and he's terrified of where it might lead...
One Saturday, a noise outside breaks the silence. A hijacker has parachuted from a stolen plane with a parachute, a hundred thousand dollars in cash, and one very frightened stewardess. Against all the odds, the thief thinks he's gotten away with it. But he doesn't know just what Dave's mother will do for an easy payday-and a chance to make her son a happy man...
"[Cain is] one of the greats of American noir." - The Guardian
More details
Person
James M. Cain (1892-1977) was one of the most important authors in the history of crime fiction. Born in Maryland, he became a journalist after giving up on a childhood dream of singing opera. After two decades writing for newspapers in Baltimore, New York, and the army-and a brief stint as the managing editor of the
New Yorker-Cain moved to Hollywood in the early 1930s. While writing for the movies, he turned to fiction, penning the novella
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934). This tightly wound tale of passion, murder, and greed became one of the most controversial bestsellers of its day, and remains one of the foremost examples of American noir writing. It set the tone for Cain's next few novels, including
Serenade (1937),
Mildred Pierce (1941),
Double Indemnity (1943), and
The Butterfly (1947). Several of his books became equally successful noir films, particularly the classic 1940s adaptations of
Mildred Pierce and
Double Indemnity. Cain moved back to Maryland in 1948. Though he wrote prolifically until his death, Cain remains most famous for his early work.
