Publisher edition artwork
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Patricia Highsmith · First published 1955
The novel behind the film, and considerably colder.
Essential
Easy · Short — around 290 pages
Why Read It?
The finest thriller ever set on the Italian coast, and a masterclass in economy.
What It's About
A young American is sent to Italy to bring a shipping heir home, and decides instead to become him.
Why It Matters
It created the modern amoral protagonist and remains the defining novel of Mediterranean self-invention.
The Review
Highsmith's Ripley is not tortured and not especially charming; he is efficient, and the novel's discomfort comes from how easily the reader ends up hoping he gets away with it. Italy is rendered with real appetite — the boats, the cafés, the ease of a life funded by someone else's allowance — and the murders are handled as logistics.
It is a perfect holiday book in the least restful sense. Short, fast, and quietly amoral.
Best Read
On a terrace by water, in two afternoons.
Three Things You'll Take From It
- 01
Class is a performance and most people never check the credentials.
- 02
Highsmith's tension comes from competence, not violence.
- 03
The sequels are good; this one is essential.
Better Read or Heard?
Kevin Kenerly's narration handles the coolness well.
If You Like This…
The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald
The same hunger, better manners.
Find it on AmazonBonjour Tristesse — Françoise Sagan
The French Riviera, teenage and ruthless.
Find it on Amazon
The Edition to Own
The Virago Modern Classics or Everyman Ripliad omnibus — the latter collects all five novels.
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