Wow! This was some page-turner. Once you’re in there’s no escape, you just can’t wait to see how it’s going to turn out.
A bit like Never Let Me Go or The Reader, there’s very little you can say about this without giving the game away. And, just like those books, I was sucked in to the writing.
Tom Ripley is a classic character. I’m surprised that he isn’t more widely known. While he does deplorable things, you can’t help but like him somehow. He’s so human, and yet so cunning. Every time he tries his luck, you’re sure that it’s going to be a step too far. Sometimes it is… or is it? I’m not telling!
The novel is set mostly in Italy. It was nice to be back there after Where Angels Fear to Tread. In fact, although it’s not Italy but Greece, the novel reminded me a lot of The Magus even though the latter is much more of a masterpiece than Ripley. It had just enough of a tint of darkness about it I suppose.
I’ve heard that Highsmith went on to write a whole series involving Mr Ripley. If I come across them, I’d definitely give them a go on the basis of this one.
OPENING LINE
Tom glanced behind him and saw the man coming out of the Green Cage, heading his way.
99TH PAGE QUOTE
This far into the book, some of the plot might be revealed. If you want to see the quote, click show
Now he was shocked to silence and hurt. Wait till she got the letter he was going to write from Rome, Tom thought. He’d be gentle with her, of course, as gentle as Dickie, but there would be no mistaking that Dickie didn’t want to see her again.
A few minutes later, Marge stood up and said good-bye in an absent-minded way. Tom suddenly felt that she might be going to phone Dickie today. Or maybe even go up to Rome. But what if she did? Dickie could have changed his hotel. And there were enough hotels in Rome to keep her busy for days, even if she came to Rome to find him. When she didn’t find him, by telephone or by coming to Rome, she would supposed that he had gone to Paris or to some other city with Tom Ripley.
Tom glanced over the newspapers from Naples for an item about a scuttled boat’s having been found near San Remo. Barca affondata San Remo, the caption would probably say. And they would make a great to-do over the bloodstains in the boat, if the bloodstains were still there. It was the kind of thing the Italian newspapers loved to write up in their melodramatic journalese
CLOSING LINE
This might give the game away. If you want to see the last line, click show
“To a hotel please,” Tom said. “Il meglio albergo. Il meglio, il meglio!”
