I first heard about Jim Thompson in the year 2010. “The
Killer Inside Me” , the film adaptation of one of his most popular novels, had
run into serious issues with the MPAA because of the brutality displayed
towards its female characters.
I love books which
generate controversy and rile the powers-that-be and hence had launched my search
for the source of the “offensive” film. Over the years, I have found only two of his
books, The Killer inside Me and The Getaway. They are what can be called “noir”
ish/hard boiled stories, narrated from the P.O.V. of the perpetrator of the crimes
and I loved reading the wise ass and "authentic" tone in which the atrocities were calmly
mentioned.
Yesterday was my lucky day. I stumbled upon a much dog eared
copy of Pop(short for population) 1280 in what looked to be a tenth hand book
store. It is, like all the other Thompson books, small in size and I
finished it in less than two hours. But at a shade above 200 pages, it packs a
mean wallop and at times would shock the reader with its deeply offensive
language which is packed with double entendres.
Nick Corey, the narrator, is a simple minded sheriff of a
small town Pottsville. He is abused by his wife, irritated by her weak minded
brother and ridiculed by the pimps. He
is also a closet killer, if there is such a term. He deceives people who don’t
live long enough to curse themselves for their gullible nature.
The complexity of the plot and the way Thomspon handles it,
always ratcheting up the tension, doesn’t allow the reader to come up for
breath. Corey’s mocking tone and sense of humor had me cackling many times.
Corey even gives a semblance of defense for his actions which seems half way
sane.
This is a great place to get hooked on to Thompson. This is
his third offering I have tasted and he has only got better. His portrayal of
twisted minds is among the most entertaining and chilling that I have read. I
can’t recommend this highly enough.
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