Tom Ripley is struggling to stay one step ahead of his creditors and the law, when an unexpected acquaintance offers him a free trip to Europe and a chance to start over.
Ripley wants money, success and the good life and he’s willing to kill for it. When his new-found happiness is threatened, his response is as swift as it is shocking.
The Talented Mr Ripley was made into a successful film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in 1999. I remember watching part of the film but for some reason I don’t recall ever watching the ending. So, how was the book?
Really, really enjoyable. The star of the show is Tom: the main character, the narrator and, arguably, the antihero. He starts off vaguely rogue-ish, inducing large dollops of pity from the reader: both parents died when he was young, so he led a miserable existence with his Aunt Dottie before moving to New York City. He clearly isn’t comfortable in his own skin and he commits acts of fraud to earn a living. The whole self-hatred thing he has going on is further emphasized by his chameleon tendencies; he absorbs the stories and mannerisms of others in order to project a grand, yet wholly incorrect, version of himself. In fact, a lot of Tom’s characteristics reminded me of Jay Gatsby.
Tom ends up evolving into the perfect dastardly villain who is so wonderfully complex that you can’t help but marvel at his ingenuity, despite his calculating ways and dreadful acts. He’s tricky; words like ‘amoral’ and ‘sociopath’ immediately spring to mind. However, that is debatable, but one thing is for certain: he’s a master manipulator, able to second guess other people’s thoughts and actions. Some of his decisions are deplorable but Highsmith does an excellent job of reeling you in and keeping you invested in Tom’s journey. Having the story from the viewpoint of the criminal, though risky, is actually what makes the book interesting: reading his thought processes; his plans; the way he manages to turn blame around and somehow justify his actions; how he calms himself down if he starts to feel moments of panic; the hatred of himself and everybody around him. It’s fascinating.
The pace of the book is damn near perfect; so perfect in fact that the changes in Tom’s behaviour are gradual, creeping up until eventually, you’re left feeling stunned. The grandiose ideas of his own importance slowly increase; his imagination begins to run wild; strange, irrational thoughts begin to filter in before he heads into completely disturbing territory. He’s a fantasist and watching (well, reading) as he loses his grip on reality is the very definition of thrilling. He doesn’t suddenly change and that is what makes this a master class in thriller writing; the tension is ramped up at well-timed intervals.
The Talented Mr Ripley prompts serious questions about the nature of identity. What image do we project to others? Is it the truth? How much of ourselves is actually cobbled together from aspects of other people? Is anybody truly happy as themselves? Why is it so important for others to like us? Why do we feel the need to enhance or lie to make ourselves look better? Just how much do we judge each other? It’s all fairly subtle, yet written with such skill that these questions are glaringly obvious.
Though written in 1955, The Talented Mr Ripley doesn’t feel particularly dated in terms of language or style. The one thing which does date it are the blatant homosexual undertones which are fairly stereotypical from the 1950’s, somehow suggesting that an “abnormal” or suppressed sexual orientation can prompt psychological flaws, ending in serious criminal activity. Is Highsmith conforming to the ideas of the period OR attempting to highlight the archaic judgements? Anyway, that aspect aside, it’s a quick, pleasingly accessible read which consistently maintained interest.
Overall, this is a well plotted, brilliantly characterized and a stylishly sinister thriller. Tom Ripley is one of the most disturbingly efficient and startlingly effective characters I’ve come across. Astute, original and classic. I never thought I’d say it, but I need more of Ripley’s stories in my life.