You can call this pulp if you want to, but I assure you, it's much more than that. Although I wouldn't call it great literature, it still has plenty of literary merit. After my first Cain novel, [b:The Postman Always Rings Twice|25807|The Postman Always Rings Twice|James M. Cain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344265267l/25807._SY75_.jpg|808562] which I hated, I'm not sure why I picked up this one, but I'm glad I did. The characterization and believable dialogue, totally absent in "Postman", is superb here. Even though it slowed in the Operatic sections, it still held my interest because Cain's passion for the music transferred to me. The church scene was original and awesome. I'd read it again just for that.