The Bells Are Ringing

We've covered three Jack Karney novels here on Paperback Warrior and we've covered his life and literary work on the podcast. I wanted to experience Karney's short-story writing style, which is steeped in boxing stories and the fighter lifestyle. There's a few scans that float around online and the one I gravitated towards is “The Bells Are Ringing”. It was published in the November 25th, 1947 issue of Short Stories.

The story is presented in a unique and colorful way by weaving the rounds of an exciting boxing bout with the prior events affecting protagonist Rocky Sears before the fight. It is an unusual storytelling method that blends in-ring action, the ticking of the rounds, with a sort of countdown of Rocky's turbulent weeks prior to the opening bell. 

As the story begins, Rocky is in the ring taking hammer blows and shots from the Champ in the Garden. Then the narrative flashes back to the early days of the fight preparation. Readers learn that Rocky's trainer, Pop, is an old-timer on the cusp of retirement. Rocky plans on marrying Pop's daughter Virgie and the two want the old man to live with them once Rocky wins the big money fight. But, there's a wrench stuck in the gears – Rocky's former flame Francine is in town and wants to see him.

The story then fluctuates back and forth between Rocky being pummeled in the ring by the Champ and a broken-heart story concerning Rocky's former lover. It turns out Francine is an actress that left Rocky and New York behind to pursue a film industry in Hollywood. She returned to New York looking for work (read that as Sugar Daddy) after her career fizzled out. She also wants to strike up a relationship with Rocky. She brought along a boy toy though in case things don't work out with Rocky. In a riveting twist, the boy toy has eyes on Virgie. This weird love triangle puts Rocky's match with the Champ in perspective. 

If he wins then Francine will follow the money and want Rocky all for herself, leaving the boy toy to aggressively pursue Virgie, thus affecting Rocky's proposed  marriage and the planned landing spot for the tired old man Pop. 

If he loses, Francine and her boy toy will probably hit the road for action elsewhere, leaving Virgie back with Rocky...and a wedding and house that neither can afford.

Karney can tell a story and “The Bells Are Ringing” was just a remarkable mix of emotions. The comeback from Jack in the ring pairs well with the storytelling aspect of this love triangle and how it develops into a conundrum for all the interested parties. Rocky is a likable character and Pop plays a minor role in terms of dialogue and presence, but in reality is the narrative's most pivotal point. This was a real pleasure to read and deserves a reprint in some fashion. In the meantime you can read the story online HERE or stream below.