The Hated One
by Don Tracy
Permabooks, 1964. 198 pages. Paperback.
In less than 200 pages, Don Tracy weaves a complex tale that involves segregation, Southern Culture, class differences, and Freedom Riders.
Lawyer and practicing alcoholic Frank Coombs has come home to Tangerine County, Florida to sign over the last piece of property in his inheritance. Years earlier, he left town in disgrace, with a wreckage of relationships and bad checks behind him. As he attempts to settle his accounts, he unwittingly becomes involved in the case of Coralee Preston. Coralee, a young black woman, has been charged with the murder of a white man. It is up to Frank Coombs to prove Coralee innocent – if indeed she is truly innocent.
This tightly structured novel is successful because it interweaves a number of universal themes.
Two wounded misfits, meeting through unlikely circumstances, rescue each other. Each characters needs the other in order to heal. The challenge is that they don’t like or trust each other. Coralee doesn’t trust Frank enough to tell him the truth. Frank doesn’t trust Coralee enough to ask. Both are imprisoned by their current situation: racism and alcoholism.
The artwork on the cover reinforces this theme. Frank and Coralee are pictured behind bars, with Frank’s hand steadying himself. Frank is penciled in grey while Coralee is painted in color. Like many other mass market books from the era, the artist is officially uncredited in the book. He did, however, sign the work. Unfortunately, his signature is illegible.
A majority ruled by an evil minority. Will the main character be able to free the majority from the evil minority? His success confirms the concept of individual responsibility; each individual has to confront injustice on his or her own.
A main character in search of redemption. The novel opens with Frank looking for redemption from his past. It ends with Frank searching for forgiveness. Will he be able to go beyond the past and present and begin a new future? It’s an intriguing question considering the events taking place in 1964.
The historical elements both inside and outside the novel make this a valuable addition to any book collection.
The Hated One is included in Orange Pulp, a collection of Florida Crime Fiction. Otherwise, a copy of this book can be purchased through alibris or Amazon.
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