As Richard pointed out, Woolrich's Fright and Savage Bride
came out the same year, 1950, and though the stories
themselves are very different, they both have the typical
Woolrich theme. The Woolrich theme is that of a man, who
believes he is in control of his life, but ultimately his
fate is the hands of a woman or is determined by a series of
events initiated by a woman that ultimately leads to the male
protagonist's salvation, redemption, vindication, retribution
or destruction. The male characters by contrast seem weak,
petulant, obsessive and possessive and the women strong,
stoic and reserved in a kind of role reversal. In his novels,
especially these two, innocent bystanders get caught in the
shrapnel of exploding lives and sometimes pay with there
lives. There are also the implausible coincidences and twists
of fate typical of Woolich that push the limits of
credulity.
I liked Savage Bride. I think once you get past the fact that
the story is pulp adventure fiction, but not crime fiction
and get into it for what it is rather than what it is not,
you can enjoy the story. Just put some Martin Denny or Les
Baxter on the stereo, mix yourself an exotic cocktail and
enjoy it. That is if you can stand Woolrich's sniveling male
characters. I think Savage Bride is the Woolrich theme on
steroids, the theme pushed to it's limits. If female
characters in his novels seem to be driven by more base
instincts than the males, this novel then takes that idea to
the ultimate manifestation--woman as savage.
Jeff
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