The novel occupies an unusual space too. It’s pure pulp, lacking all the gravitas and thematic coherence of the film, but somehow manages to be fantastic in its own right.
It’s part of a long list of pulp fiction that somehow coheres at exactly the right time in the right way and elevates itself beyond its genre. The Godfather was not the first novel about organized crime, not even close - that was a (maybe the most) common form of dimestore novels. But there’s something about The Godather, like Silence of the Lambs or Fifty Shades of Grey, that takes the genre to a more exciting place and a wider audience.
This was a great essay! Thanks.
The novel occupies an unusual space too. It’s pure pulp, lacking all the gravitas and thematic coherence of the film, but somehow manages to be fantastic in its own right.
It’s part of a long list of pulp fiction that somehow coheres at exactly the right time in the right way and elevates itself beyond its genre. The Godfather was not the first novel about organized crime, not even close - that was a (maybe the most) common form of dimestore novels. But there’s something about The Godather, like Silence of the Lambs or Fifty Shades of Grey, that takes the genre to a more exciting place and a wider audience.