Pop. 1280 (Mulholland Classic)

You could be forgiven for wondering at first if Pop. 1280 isn't an example of Thompson going back to the well; its main character, sheriff Nick Corey, feels very much to be a revisiting of Lou Ford, the main character in The Killer Inside Me. Both characters are sheriffs; both put on a front of simplicity and even stupidity to mask their keen intellects; and, yes, both have some seriously sociopathic tendencies. But the characters are more dissimilar than a first glance might indicate; indeed, Corey's far more complex than Ford in some ways, and he ends up feeling less like Ford's unchecked murderer and more like a truly disturbed individual. Moreover, Pop. 1280 really soars in its complex plotting, which finds Corey juggling a re-election campaign, a hateful wife, a hopeful new love, and lots more. But here's the biggest difference between The Killer Inside Me and Pop. 1280: the latter book is surprisingly, darkly, bracingly funny. I mean, genuinely laugh out loud funny, albeit in such a dark sense that it's going to choke a little bit going down. Pop. 1280 is a beautiful little poison apple of a book, and the best of Thompson's books that I've read so far; it's intricately plotted, amazingly written, acidically funny, and absolutely compelling. More than any of that, it will remind you that, no matter when he wrote, few authors can tap into the darkness, violence, and insanity of human nature better than Thompson, and by the time Pop. 1280 comes to an end, you'll be stunned by how different Nick Corey is from what you originally expected. More importantly, though, you'll also have finished a masterpiece by one of the essential crime thriller writers who ever lived.

From the moment I began reading POP. 1280, the classic crime novel by the late Jim Thompson, I gained a tremendous appreciation for how masterfully the author gave his characters "voice." And if you are a budding author who hasn't grasped the meaning of "voice," then by all means, read this book. Essentially, there are two definitions for the literary term "voice": the first determines what makes a writer's style unique and sets him or her part from others in the same genre; and the second relates to how we experience the story from a character's point of view (POV), as expressed in their singular speech patterns, actions, and thoughts. While POP. 1280--published in 1964--exemplifies Thompson's voice as an author; it serves as an even greater example of how writers should give characters their distinctive voice--and maintain it throughout the novel. POP. 1280 is the first-person story of Nick Corey, a small-town Southern sheriff in the early days of the 20th century. In his own words, Corey tells us--without saying so directly--that he is a lazy, unmotivated fellow who prefers eating and sleeping all day to doing any real law enforcement work. He presents himself to the reader and everyone he meets as a no-account simpleton. But through his own words, we learn that on the contrary, he's quite cunning, clever, and conniving. He cheats on his nagging wife and is adept at covering his tracks, no matter what malfeasance he commits. In one unnerving scene, he confronts a victim with a speech that defies his down-home, awe-shucks persona and exposes to the reader his real self: He's a homicidal sociopath with a flair for twisting words and meanings to deflect suspicion and cast blame for his misdeeds on others. Throughout the novel, Thompson maintains Nick Corey's voice to the point you feel as if you're living inside the man's head. It's that effective. In POP. 1280, Nick Corey speaks and thinks like a yokel; at no point does Thompson betray this characterization by suddenly putting 50-cent words in his mouth. Instead, by giving Nick his individual voice both in word and thought, Jim Thompson made him real--almost too real.

POP 1280 is a brilliant book. Fast-moving, fun to read, filled with surprises for both its characters and its readers. Sure, on the surface it follows the formula of a merely great Jim Thompson novel: we the readers follow the storyline as it unfolds in the mind of a confused narrator, who solves his problems by killing. It all seems perfectly rational to the narrator until he gradually comes unhinged -- and we the readers realize the story is not quite as the narrator has told it. In POP 1280, small-town sheriff Nick Corey tries to think his way out of personal and professional problems, armed only with a keen understanding of human nature. Unfortunately, every move he makes seems to box him in further. The more he is trapped by his actions, the more he takes an expansive view of the universe and his place in it. The more outrageous his actions become, the farther he goes to justify them to himself. Most of the Thompson books I've read confine themselves to psychology, with fine portrayals of oedipal complexes, mental illness, and alcoholism. But POP 1280 takes a grand leap into philosophy. At the beginning, it looks like Corey is redeemable. We see his inner ethical dialogue represented by the three women in his life. He bounces between deliberate meanness, raw emotion, and an educated conscience. But as the story develops, Corey reflects on the way God governs the universe and its parallels to his own work as sheriff. By the end of the story, we begin to wonder if anyone or anything is redeemable at all.

I finished it about one week ago. The novel is quite interesting, since the main caracther is both plain and twisted, and it has three or four good turns. But I wouldn't rate it as the "master of suspense" that is been elected. Good book.

Gran novela, un clásico del género negro imprescindible. Es corto pero intenso. Inicié su lectura en inglés, pero al resultarme algo complicado manejarme con el argot lo leí en español y brillante.

I discovered this book by Jim Thompson after googling books similar to American Tabloid by James Ellroy and thought I'd have a look. I have to say overall I loved it. I loved the way it was written and the fact that the main character is portrayed as a simple man but is in fact far deeper and more complex than what he appears. My only slight grumble is that the ending kind of fizzles out..........but please don't let that stop you. It was great.

LIVRE OUBLIE ET C'EST BIEN DOMMAGE ... UN PUR RÉGAL .... COMME UNE DOUCHE GLACÉE APRÈS UN BAIN CHAUD HN G Libraire

What I liked in the book is the simplicity of the Sheriff and the way he tackled the problems. Great reading. Must buy for mystery lovers.

Bien prenant, mais finit un peu en eau de boudin. L'adaptation cinématographique de Bertrand Tavernier est même meilleure .