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Cloud Nine
One man sells his soul to save an innocent—who turns out not to be so innocent after all
Graham meets Sonya outside of his real estate office. She is sixteen, beautiful, and showing just the right amount of leg. He’s ruminating on those legs when she drops the bombshell—she’s there because Graham’s brother, Burl, raped her, leaving her frightened, pregnant, and very much alone.
She was spending the night with a friend when two boys and a case of beer turned a quiet evening into a hellish orgy. All she wants is the $1,111 it will cost to spend the next few months in a convalescent home, then give the baby up for adoption, but Burl won’t give her the money. Sonya’s vengeful father, meanwhile, wants far more money from Burl, to pay for harming his daughter. Graham offers Sonya a better choice: He’ll marry her so that she can get a legal abortion. This moment of twisted generosity will change his life forever—but he has no idea that, as he asks for Sonya’s hand, he is signing away his soul.
Graham meets Sonya outside of his real estate office. She is sixteen, beautiful, and showing just the right amount of leg. He’s ruminating on those legs when she drops the bombshell—she’s there because Graham’s brother, Burl, raped her, leaving her frightened, pregnant, and very much alone.
She was spending the night with a friend when two boys and a case of beer turned a quiet evening into a hellish orgy. All she wants is the $1,111 it will cost to spend the next few months in a convalescent home, then give the baby up for adoption, but Burl won’t give her the money. Sonya’s vengeful father, meanwhile, wants far more money from Burl, to pay for harming his daughter. Graham offers Sonya a better choice: He’ll marry her so that she can get a legal abortion. This moment of twisted generosity will change his life forever—but he has no idea that, as he asks for Sonya’s hand, he is signing away his soul.
187 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1984
13 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
James M. Cain
144 books878 followersJames Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892–October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the "roman noir."
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 21, 2010
This one starts off rough, and it's clear that Cain was well established by the time he wrote this. It has some obvious editing snafus and typos, especially by the final three chapters, so it seems like it was whisked through the editing and revision phases to print, nonetheless, the plot really delivers some classic Cain.
I think it's worth reading, especially if you enjoyed Postman or Mildred Pierce (two of my favorites of his). But for the uninitiated, the slow start may hinder your enjoyment of the book, so I'd certainly not make this the first Cain I read.
All in all, it was a great, roller coaster plot with plenty of odd twists and turns. And it was a quick read, too. Good stuff.
I think it's worth reading, especially if you enjoyed Postman or Mildred Pierce (two of my favorites of his). But for the uninitiated, the slow start may hinder your enjoyment of the book, so I'd certainly not make this the first Cain I read.
All in all, it was a great, roller coaster plot with plenty of odd twists and turns. And it was a quick read, too. Good stuff.
August 7, 2008
Despite its garish, 80s cover, this book was pretty good. I don't think it rates as highly as Cain's other novels, but it was still worth the read.
November 9, 2012
More great (and politically incorrect) James M. Cain:
(SPOILERS)
Meet Graham Kirby, age 30, real estate entrepreneur and local booster. He has been successful so far in life, and clearly has a plan for continuing to be so. He has moved on from tough beginnings and is now the breadwinner in his extended family consisting of his mother and his childhood guardian. He lives and breathes real estate and we are treated to a description of every building and every room he visits over the course of the story. His obsessions in life do not seem to include any women ... although he has been able to work them in around the edges along the way.
Meet his younger half-brother Burwell, (A Drew Peterson type) who does have an obsession with women. He is a serial date-rapist in an era before the term was fashioned and may have killed his first wife for some (doubly indemnified) insurance money. He seems to have had some success with the opposite sex using the very same technique that Bill Clinton used on Paula Jones in the Little Rock hotel room ... but back in the day, (it would seem) if the girl was interested, she hung around checking things out. Admiration would lead to fondling and ... well, I guess we all knows how that usually works out.
Meet Sonya Lang, age 16 or so and a victim of Burwell Kirby's ways. She turns out to have the brains which drive the story ... and as is typical of a Cain novel, she has off-the-charts allure and sex appeal. We see this first hand as she prances in and out of outfits, bathtubs, showers and so in, all in the presence of "Grammie" who succumbs in about 30 seconds flat.
In any event, Sonya gets knocked-up by Burwell, and her family relying on their own code of honor, seeks private redress rather than the filing of criminal charges ...
........................................
These late-in-his-career Cain novels are engrossing on a number of levels. In this case, the character of Sonya introduced as a victim turns out to be the driving personality in the story.
I also like the way his ambitious striving business-types are so obsessed with their selling. They fete us with insight into all of their little trade secrets. Nothing is illegal, but everything is clearly manipulative and the tactics are always cheap. Graham Kirby in this case, is providing for the woman who raised him by giving her an allowance ... but he seems to consider this to be an investment, since she owns 67 acres of land which is prime for development, and on which, she is gaming the IRS code.
.........................................................
In any case, throw all of this stuff together, A super-hot chick, a manipulative guy who is due to be out manipulated, some bad bloodlines in your family tree, and a setting just before the modern politically correct era, and you have the makings of an excellent James M. Cain style caper.
(SPOILERS)
Meet Graham Kirby, age 30, real estate entrepreneur and local booster. He has been successful so far in life, and clearly has a plan for continuing to be so. He has moved on from tough beginnings and is now the breadwinner in his extended family consisting of his mother and his childhood guardian. He lives and breathes real estate and we are treated to a description of every building and every room he visits over the course of the story. His obsessions in life do not seem to include any women ... although he has been able to work them in around the edges along the way.
Meet his younger half-brother Burwell, (A Drew Peterson type) who does have an obsession with women. He is a serial date-rapist in an era before the term was fashioned and may have killed his first wife for some (doubly indemnified) insurance money. He seems to have had some success with the opposite sex using the very same technique that Bill Clinton used on Paula Jones in the Little Rock hotel room ... but back in the day, (it would seem) if the girl was interested, she hung around checking things out. Admiration would lead to fondling and ... well, I guess we all knows how that usually works out.
Meet Sonya Lang, age 16 or so and a victim of Burwell Kirby's ways. She turns out to have the brains which drive the story ... and as is typical of a Cain novel, she has off-the-charts allure and sex appeal. We see this first hand as she prances in and out of outfits, bathtubs, showers and so in, all in the presence of "Grammie" who succumbs in about 30 seconds flat.
In any event, Sonya gets knocked-up by Burwell, and her family relying on their own code of honor, seeks private redress rather than the filing of criminal charges ...
........................................
These late-in-his-career Cain novels are engrossing on a number of levels. In this case, the character of Sonya introduced as a victim turns out to be the driving personality in the story.
I also like the way his ambitious striving business-types are so obsessed with their selling. They fete us with insight into all of their little trade secrets. Nothing is illegal, but everything is clearly manipulative and the tactics are always cheap. Graham Kirby in this case, is providing for the woman who raised him by giving her an allowance ... but he seems to consider this to be an investment, since she owns 67 acres of land which is prime for development, and on which, she is gaming the IRS code.
.........................................................
In any case, throw all of this stuff together, A super-hot chick, a manipulative guy who is due to be out manipulated, some bad bloodlines in your family tree, and a setting just before the modern politically correct era, and you have the makings of an excellent James M. Cain style caper.
November 7, 2019
I would tell anyone who hasn't read anything by James M. Cain (is there really such a person?) to not start with this one. Cloud Nine is a mess. It was written when Cain was well into his 70s and rejected by publishers he'd sent it to. Reading it now, it's easy to see why. This isn't the James Cain of novels like Double Indemnity or Mildred Pierce. I think it's missing a lot of badly needed editing, which surprises me that no one bothered to do when this finally did get published. It's a bizarre plot, with elements of Jim Thompson in it. It's not a bad book, but it's not the book to remember a really good writer by.
March 16, 2021
By the author of "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity" & "Mildred Pierce". This was published posthumously and difficult to read in some parts due to rape/violence. It did have some twists and a happy ending. I didn't dislike it. But I wouldn't put it on a "must read" list, either.
March 3, 2013
Cain was well past his prime on this novel. It's classic Cain storytelling set 30 years later than it should be, which yields unintended hilarity. However, his pacing and plotting is still spot on and this book comes off as great camp and is still a very enjoyable read.
June 5, 2014
Boring.
September 25, 2014
Despite the incredibly dated attitudes towards women, this was a really gripping read - and I didn't pick the ending.
December 17, 2024
Cain was way past his prime when he wrote "Cloud Nine" and, frankly, it shows. Missing is the high stakes and intrigue of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" or "Double Indemnity". I found the story pretty implausable and thin, although it does have a sense of menace and tawdriness throughout. I thought that the dialogue and descriptive prose wasn't as sharp as in his classic novels - an observation later addressed in the book's Afterward. At times I didn't care what happened to the idiot characters although, admittedly, by the end, I showed a modicum of concern. Hardcore Cain fans will want to read this rare book out of curiousity but, like me, will surely identify the elements that render it far from his best.
December 17, 2021
Not believable characters, rape glossed over, greed glorified, family relationships weird, story contrived. What to like... the writing itself is pretty good and it's not too long (that's why 2 stars), so it's possible to finish the book quickly. Was it worth the time? Not for me.
Skip.
Skip.
August 24, 2021
A one-day read; romantic thriller.
April 17, 2023
Nasty stuff
November 10, 2025
Not really very good. It pretty much makes no sense. Very "racy" for its time period.
November 9, 2011
I was looking for some of Cain's more famous novels, like "The Postman Always Rings Twice", but couldn't find any, so I settled for this title.
I am hoping this book is not a good indicator of any of his previous novels. It is described as a tale of murderous violence precipitated by uncontrolled lust. Sounds compellig, no? No.
I read in the "Afterword" of the book that Cain at the age of 75 was struggling with his novels - late in his life and I think this book is proof of that. He died in 1977 and this book was published in 1984. To me it was just silly and trite.
But, I will not give up, I will try another Cain novel.
I am hoping this book is not a good indicator of any of his previous novels. It is described as a tale of murderous violence precipitated by uncontrolled lust. Sounds compellig, no? No.
I read in the "Afterword" of the book that Cain at the age of 75 was struggling with his novels - late in his life and I think this book is proof of that. He died in 1977 and this book was published in 1984. To me it was just silly and trite.
But, I will not give up, I will try another Cain novel.
August 2, 2015
Careful. This makes "Postman" read like "Heidi".
Lots of people do lots of stupid things in this book.
And I loved it anyways. Hard.
Lots of people do lots of stupid things in this book.
And I loved it anyways. Hard.
July 28, 2016
Better than a three but not a four. Like reading a black and white movie.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews