The Maltese Falcon

I have just finished the first book I've read over winter break -- and the first book I've read of my own volition since I-can't-remember-when: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

It was a little bit slow to get into; but then, most books usually are for me. It usually takes me a few chapters to get into the swing of things and feel like a part of the story, but with this book by the time I got past the second chapter I was totally absorbed and ended up reading most of it yesterday and today (today, hardly stopping at all). I haven't been that absorbed in a book since ... I don't remember. Probably a year or two at least.

Of course, it is a detective story, so it can be expected to be somewhat addictive, a fast read. But The Maltese Falcon wasn't just that -- it was extraordinarily well-written. Although the prose is detail-laden (and this is very noticeable at first) it isn't overwhelmingly so, and the narrative style moves the story along at a pace that doesn't leave you scratching your head but also doesn't allow you to start nodding off mid-chapter. I think the most essential literary device for crime fiction is the plot twist, and Hammett doesn't throw that in like a reward at the end of a tedious story, but uses it in small but frequent doses which make every paragraph worth reading.

Most important of all, however, are the characters Hammett created. Every one of them is original, 3-dimensional, quirky, and expertly written. Even without his exact and formative descriptions, his use of dialogue alone paints an accurate portrayal of each of these unique characters. The story could never be as engaging without them.

There is no spectacular twist ending, which I suppose is the price that must be payed for this plot device having been used so frequently throughout. But the ending is not entirely expected either, and it does serve to complete the novel's depiction of its main protagonist, so I did think it was rather clever and hardly disappointing. In any case, the story is extremely engaging, remarkably well-written for a detective novel, and all in all, well worth the time it takes to read a mere 217 pages. This is, in my opinion, a book anyone should pick up.

I, for one, will be looking up Hammett's other novels the next time I go to the bookstore, and that is, I think, as big a compliment a person can pay to any author.