I knew the basic theme beforehand, but the actual plot became familiar when I saw Ossessione (1943). I've also seen the American version with Lana Turner and John Garfield, so there wasn't anything new left when I started to read this. In this case seeing the film(s) before reading the book was even worse, because I couldn't really get anything out of this psychologically or in a deeper level than just the events.

Cain's writing style does fit this genre quite well, but the economical way of using words occasionally balances between paper thinness and elegance. If the story hadn't been told in first person's point of view, it would have felt more like a film noir script. I also don't know if it was just me, but at times it was difficult to keep up with who was speaking.

However, there was one quote by a woman who trains and sells large cats that encapsulates the mood: "If it was people, he would be a crazy person. It comes from being bred in captivity. These cats you see, they look like cats, but they're really cat lunatics".