Seed on the Wind - Rex Stout

A lot of people would be dismissive of pulp crime fiction, considering it sensationalised, but I'd contend that they are actually very important social documents of their time, breaking taboos about what was acceptable for publication in decent literature. As well as being very creative, adventurous and exciting story telling. I've seen that in previous Hard Case Crime books that republish classic noir from the past, from Max Allan Collins's Quarry whose lack of morals about killing come from his time spent in Vietnam to the counter culture of Lawrence Block's A Diet of Treacle. But not everyone needs to be an assassin for hire or a small time drug dealer turned to murder and Seed on the Wind has another unusual and daring angle that takes another look at changing attitudes in society.

First published in 1930 before he became famous for his creation of Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout takes on an uncommon and very controversial subject in Seed on the Wind. A woman with a womb for hire is definitely not a common subject for a crime thriller. That, and the manner in which is is approached is something however that just makes this novel so compelling and unpredictable, other than for the fact that such an arrangement in this time period of the 1920s is likely to lead to trouble down with line. The other strength of the book is Stout’s writing which takes in a lot of related attitudes and behaviours that, inevitably considering that originality of the situation, are rarely explored, particularly so well from the female perspective.

It's not correct for example to reduce Lora Winter's situation to being to a 'womb for hire', but there is something instead liberated about her way of living. Although she has three children by different fathers since escaping small town life and family problems to live independently in New York, Lora loves having children and loves her children, but is not so keen on tying herself down to marriage. She still maintains friendly relationship with the fathers - those that are still around - allowing them to visit and even pay towards the upkeep of their children. Then a wealthy businessman, Lewis Kane comes along with a business proposition. He wants her to have a child denied to him from his own marriage. It's to be kept on a legal and businesslike footing, but inevitably complications are bound to arise from this unconventional family arrangement. 

Stout picks up Lora Winter's story at the crux of the problems arising and then more or less moves backwards, showing where one man came in and where things cooled off, and then back to what happened to the one before. The attention paid to characterisation and motivations is superb, each of the men having very different voices and personalities, each a fascinating study in how men behave when absolved from having responsibilities. How these relationships form and play out is never predictable, which is mainly down to how Lora chooses to deal with them, sometimes we find based on her experience of the one before. It's her of course that we are really interested in, how she chooses to live, her reasons for doing in the face of social norms, and she really is an intriguing puzzle that is gradually pieced together in the most brilliant manner by the author.

The crime element? As I said, it's there, building to it slowly but not in any overly dramatised or conventional way, which only makes it more realistic and agonising. Even though the opening chapter gives some clue where this problem will arise, it's not the standard prelude trailer for the main action that is designed to keep you holding on. The book itself, its unconventional characters and situations are more than enough to keep you thoroughly engaged in this extraordinary book. This really is masterful writing.

This is what is so good about Hard Case Crime books. Not only are they publishing great long out of print crime fiction, not only are they publishing new crime fiction in the classic noir style, but they are unearthing great works by major writers that were rejected, lost or left unpublished 60/70 years ago. It's over 90 years in the case of Seed on the Wind, first published in 1930 and subsequently 'lost', long before as the creator of Nero Wolfe was acclaimed a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. It's a perfect example of the quality of this writing that transcends the genre and the reputation of the genre; genuinely great writing, genuinely envelope pushing, all the more impressive for the time it was written, but still relevant and more challenging than much that is being written in the genre today.

Reading notes: Seed on the Wind by Rex Stout is published by Titan Books under their Hard Case Crime imprint. It's available in paperback and eBook formats. I received a digital copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.