Amid a plethora of 50, 000 plus books in my local library, what made me pick up “Cade” by James Hadley Chase? Is it the author’s reputation for writing thrillers? The short title? The preview of it behind the book? Whatever it was, it was one of the most gripping, “unputdownable” (if you’ll excuse the grammar) book I have ever come across.
Cade is a famous, sought after photographer with a weakness for a drinks and woman. Juana – a beautiful Mexican woman known to be fatal to men. Cade has everything a human would wish for, looks, charm, wealth, talent, fame, friends and a kind nature until one fine day, the gods decided they needed a laugh. Into Cade’s life entered Jauna who stripped him of everything that he had till he was reduced to a mere nothing, to be pitied and eventually ignored.
The author in his own way does a wonderful job of pointing out subtly the human flaws in all of us. Not all of us may possess the same weaknesses that Cade has, but flaws we do have for sure and that makes it so easy to identify with Cade. The mistakes he makes are similar to ours in the sense of its repetition. How many of us actually learn from our mistakes and not tempt fate? How many of us give in to temptation easily enough? How many of us struggle with our own values when it comes to making life or death decisions? How many of us also at sometime or other counted our blessings? How many of us get into a situation knowing fully well that it would lead to trouble, and yet just can’t stay away? Anyone who says he hasn’t been through at least one of the above questions is superhuman. Cade does go through all this and more which makes it easier for the reader to identify with the character though not all of us may meet with the same fate as Cade.
Philosophical aspects apart, the setting of the story in the Mexican theme makes one want to visit the city itself and witness the bull fighting, so vivid are the descriptions that one can actually visualize the entire scene without ever having been to Mexico. The author also highlights the brutal aspects of racial discrimination and the world’s apathy to it, bringing into focus once again how a human flaw, if not improved upon can eat into a person’s soul so deeply that one loses the ability to discriminate between what is important and what is not, even comprising on values to the lowest possible manner.
One can enjoy Cade as another novel of fiction or make one's own interpretations. It would be apt if the reader can take away subtle learning’s from the book that is not evident overtly. Cade is definitely worth a read for anyone who loves a good book.
