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This Sweet Sickness

Patricia Highsmith

3.78 · Rating details · 2,271 ratings · 299 reviews

In This Sweet Sickness, Patricia Highsmith, in her own inimitable fashion, has created a complex psychological tale as suspenseful as The Talented Mr. Ripley.

David Kelsey, a young scientist, has an unyielding conviction that life will turn out all right for him; he just has to fix the Situation: he is in love with a married woman. Obsessed with Annabelle and the life he ha ...more

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Paperback, 288 pages

Published October 17th 2002 by W. W. Norton Company (first published December 18th 1960)

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Jul 02, 2019 GTF rated it liked it

"This Sweet Sickness" is a satisfactory novel from Patricia Highsmith that explores the dark side of attraction and desire. Highsmith excellently portrays how fixations can become very unhealthy, especially when they involve a love interest in someone who doesn't feel the same way in return. Such fixations can develop into delusions if they go unregulated, which is very apparent in the characters of David and Effie, who eventually engage in extreme and illicit behaviour to secure the possibility ...more

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Jan 28, 2018 Teresa rated it really liked it

Recommended to Teresa by: BrokenTune

This novel is a slow burn. It builds at a needed pace (yet so slowly that at the halfway mark I started to wonder if I should continue) until with only a quarter left, it flares. Then it’s too late, there’s absolutely nothing you can do to put it out.

In the beginning you might even relate to one or two of David’s obsessions. (Or am I giving away too much about myself?) But as David's thoughts turn to actions, and his delusions are revealed, so is his dangerous insanity. This is all told from his ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 BrokenTune rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

4.5*

In the dead of night, more snow began to fall, like billions of white, silent tears.

This Sweet Sickness was my 13th book by Patricia Highsmith and you would have thought that by now I would know what to expect and would be able to foresee certain themes or twists. The thing is, I can’t.

One of the very aspects that keeps me reading her books is that I have yet to find a story that follows a formula, or even one that I have encountered in other books of the same era. Sure, some later books may ...more

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Jul 06, 2015 Nancy Oakes rated it really liked it

oh god. What a great book. For a little more about this book, you can go here to my reading journal; otherwise, continue.

This Sweet Sickness is Highsmith's seventh book and somewhere around page 90 I had to put it down for a day because of the knots forming in my gut. Somehow I just knew that this story was going to end very badly and well, I wasn't wrong. This book unnerved me to the max and reaffirmed my belief that it is dangerous indeed to stay in this woman's brain (or that of her main cha oh god. What a great book. For a little more about this book, you can go here to my reading journal; otherwise, continue.

This Sweet Sickness is Highsmith's seventh book and somewhere around page 90 I had to put it down for a day because of the knots forming in my gut. Somehow I just knew that this story was going to end very badly and well, I wasn't wrong. This book unnerved me to the max and reaffirmed my belief that it is dangerous indeed to stay in this woman's brain (or that of her main character here) for any length of time.

David Kelsey is an intelligent, successful chemist who lives in a small town in New York. He has a room in a boardinghouse there during the week; over his weekends he goes to a lovely home he owns elsewhere, which he'd bought under the name of William Neumeister, "who had never failed at anything, at least nothing important... " His fellow residents at Mrs. McCartney's boardinghouse know nothing about either Neumeister nor Kelsey's home -- when asked where he goes every weekend, he tells them he is visiting his mother at a nursing home. What no one knows is that David's mother is dead and has been for a while. It seems that David goes home each weekend looking for letters from the only woman he's ever loved, Annabelle. He's also fixed the place up in a style he knows Annabelle will love. But David absolutely refuses to accept or to deal with "The Situation," which

"was the way it was and had been for nearly two years...like a rock, say a five-pound rock, that he carried around in his chest day and night."

David's "situation" is that two years earlier, Annabelle had married Gerald Delaney. That doesn't seem to bother David, though -- in his mind, he had "won Annabelle," who "lived with him here, he imagined," "her presence in every room." Everything he does is for Annabelle, and his obsession with her grows as he pursues his dream.

Quite frankly, This Sweet Sickness is one of the most disturbing novels in Highsmith's lineup to this point, and reader beware -- there is absolutely nothing uplifting or redeeming to be found here, which normally doesn't bother me, but with Highsmith I've found that reading her work has to be done in small doses. Enter at your own risk, but then again, that's true of every Highsmith novel. Her books definitely get an NFE (not for everyone) rating from me -- but I can't help myself. I love her.
...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Simon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was the perfect first book for any year. Gripping. Quirky. Chilling. Sinister. I do love it when Patricia Highsmith writes about her 'psychopathic-heroes' and David is one of her finest. It's uncomfortable and odd, just like him. I thought it was really great. I love how she slowly draws you in and then forcefully grabs you and won't let go. ...more

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Feb 10, 2022 Dave Schaafsma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-detective-thriller, books-loved-2022

The (Less Than) Talented Mr Ripley (Kelsey)

At a glance I see not many reviewers agree with me that this is a successful novel by Patricia Highsmith, in the realm of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Strangers on a Train, but I was thoroughly creeped out by it throughout. A late fifties New York story of a successful chemist, David Kelsey, who is seen by most as a brilliant scientist and nice person. And we hear the story from his perspective.

David reminds me of the also superficially nice Tom Ripley The (Less Than) Talented Mr Ripley (Kelsey)

At a glance I see not many reviewers agree with me that this is a successful novel by Patricia Highsmith, in the realm of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Strangers on a Train, but I was thoroughly creeped out by it throughout. A late fifties New York story of a successful chemist, David Kelsey, who is seen by most as a brilliant scientist and nice person. And we hear the story from his perspective.

David reminds me of the also superficially nice Tom Ripley--both are sociopaths--but David, in spite of his professional intelligence, is less talented at his delusions than Ripley. Ripley was published in 1955, and Sickness in 1960, so that’s interesting, an apparent attempt to create another Ripley-type five years later.

David once dated Annabelle, but that was a couple years ago. Can’t let go of the women who dumped you? This is David, who obsesses about her, even though she is married, and now has a child! These facts would normally dissuade most exes, but David is crazier than most. He writes her letters expressing his undenying love, he buys and sets up a cottage with expensive furnishings, all things she would love (I recently re-read The Great Gatsby, and thought of how Jay Gatz wanted to accrue huge wealth to impress the object of his desire, [also married, with child in tow]) Daisy, to win her.

In most other aspects of his life, David is perfectly functional, though he lies to everyone about his staying in a boarding house in Manhattan, just to be close to her. Oh, he lies to everyone about everything Annabelle-related, especially to himself. He adopts a second identity, William Neumeister, to help him in his increasingly creepy/crazy plans.

He also finally goes to Annabelle’s house to make it clear to her and her husband--the new parents!--that he is going to take Annabelle away with him. She tries to be reasonable with him, she doesn’t want to hurt him, but she is clear that this plan is nuts. But she is maybe just a bit too kind to him. Because David doesn’t accept the truth. And things get creepier and creepier, even as Annabelle’s husband comes to confront David.

David has supporters who just can’t believe he is lying--the boarding house caretaker Mrs. McCartney, his old pal Wes, and Effie, who is in love with David and will do anything to support him, even to the point of helping him with his lies. She meets with Annabelle; she gets what is going on. So she has an unrealistic and unhealthy desire, too.

Highsmith is really good at getting into the head of an obsessive mind. The ending made me shudder. That last sentence was perfect. I thought it was maybe not quite Ripley- or Strangers-level but really, really good. ...more

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Nov 10, 2019 Dan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Reading Patricia Highsmith’s This Sweet Sickness is creepy, very creepy. It’s neither mystery nor thriller nor horror, but still so very creepy. Reading this, I felt as if I were in a nightmare, watching a huge tractor trailer truck hurtling down a very long hill with broken brakes: I knew that David Kelsey, William Neumeister, and The Situation were going to crash, but I didn’t know when, where, how, or what the damage would be.

This Sweet Sickness provides unexpected and unintended enjoyment f ...more

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Mar 28, 2021 Peter Boyle rated it really liked it

There's a new biography of Patricia Highsmith out at the moment. I read a review of it in The Sunday Times a few weeks ago and I was amazed at what an unpleasant person it described. Highsmith didn't seem to like people very much and channeled this hate into her characters. I've enjoyed some of the movie adaptations of her work such as Carol and The Talented Mr. Ripley, but I'd never read her novels, so I decided to give This Sweet Sickness a try.

The story begins in upstate New York and is narra There's a new biography of Patricia Highsmith out at the moment. I read a review of it in The Sunday Times a few weeks ago and I was amazed at what an unpleasant person it described. Highsmith didn't seem to like people very much and channeled this hate into her characters. I've enjoyed some of the movie adaptations of her work such as Carol and The Talented Mr. Ripley, but I'd never read her novels, so I decided to give This Sweet Sickness a try.

The story begins in upstate New York and is narrated by David Kelsey, a young chemist. He's a man with a problem: his true love Anabelle is married to somebody else. But David is certain that everything will work out in the end. During the week he lives in a boarding house with various nosy and interfering inhabitants. The weekends though, he spends at a house in a nearby town, purchased under a fake name. He believes this dream home will be enough to win Annabelle over and often fantasizes about her presence there. David doesn't have many friends - there is an office colleague named Wes that he sometimes shares a drink with. And a girl called Effie at the boarding house who seems to have a crush at him. They are merely distractions from his grand plan - David will win Annabelle's affections, no matter the cost.

This Sweet Sickness is an incredibly creepy tale of infatuation and unrequited love. Highsmith does an amazing job of getting inside an obsessive mind. David is utterly deluded throughout - anyone can see that Annabelle has no interest in him, and she's too polite to tell him to get lost. Every kind of setback in his conquest is put aside - he is absolutely determined that they will end up together. And the character of Effie is a clever invention, a girl who is just as besotted with him as he is with Annabelle. Yet David sees her as pathetic, an annoyance. He's a calculating, devious individual but his lies eventually get him into trouble. It's an uncomfortable yet gripping read, a psychological thriller that demonstrates Highsmith's rare ability to imagine the motivations of tormented and depraved characters. ...more

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Apr 12, 2021 Tony rated it liked it

Shelves: u-s-lit, highsmith

Like the previous Highsmiths I've read, this one has a male protagonist who is smart, charming, mostly kind. Well, that's how the other characters see him, at least for starters. The problem for David Kelsey, however, is that he is psychotically obsessed with a former girlfriend (if she was even that).

He invents an alter-ego, keeps a house in his name, and appoints it with things he thinks his beloved Annabelle will appreciate when she comes to live with him. The problem is that Annabelle is mar ...more

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Aug 05, 2015 Vanessa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-bookshelf, 5-stars

What a joyride this book is, menacing and creepy. An in depth look into the mechanics of a twisted sick mind. David Kelsey is a strange character that really gets under your skin. He has no concept of reality but also seems so bleeting normal at first glance. How does Patricia Highsmith do this? Clever clever writing that reels you in like a fish hook. A chilling look at what happens when a man's house of lies comes crashing down and the ramifications of living a double life. He just keeps getti ...more

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Oct 26, 2007 Tosh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I sort of identify with the main character. You have a crush on a girl. For fun you imagine your life with her. Maybe getting an apartment together. The thing is you don't know her at all - but still a daydream. Nothing wrong with that right?

And this is where Patricia Highsmith comes in and makes it really creepy and weird. She has a genius to get under one's psychie skin and make it sound really reasonable. A totally unique visionary writer who is very truthful regarding the moment when you ar ...more

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Mar 13, 2022 Sarah rated it really liked it

Highsmith likes her protagonists dark and twisty: the obsessive David Kelsey is no exception.

This quiet, intellectual fella becomes increasingly unhinged as he pitches into pursuit of an old flame who has 100% moved on. The more she rejects him, the more he ramps up his bird-dogging until the proverbial fit hits the shan.

And you know? Even though I understood something really, really bad was going to happen... Highsmith surprised me with the particulars of her protagonist's upshift to 5150.

Th ...more

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Dec 01, 2021 Kerry rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychological-thriller, mental-health

my only prior Highsmith was the Talented Mr. Ripley. Took this book on vacation with me and it helped fill the nights in various hotels along the way. Interesting read about a young man who falls in love and fails to make his move in time. His sickness is in refusing to let go of his dream girl. The one who got away takes him on a mental journey that does not end well for him and those around him. The story builds slowly and though I knew tragedy lay ahead I was never sure exactly what form it w ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: top-author, audio, nature-v-nurture

This is a slow-burn psychological drama that hooked me in and shook me!

It delves exclusively into the psyche of our protagonist David...and that does not make for comfortable reading. His growing obsession with his ex-girlfriend Annabelle is explored alongside his work / family relationships that...er...complicate matters.

If you are looking for action and plot twists then this is not going to do it for you; but if you like looking into the minds of deeply flawed characters and watching an evitab ...more

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Apr 21, 2014 Dominick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, contemporary-fiction

Highsmith is very adept at depicting the pathological mind, and she does an especially remarkable job here with David Kelsey, convinced that eventaully Annabelle will come to her senses and realize he's her one true love--the fact that she's married and expecting a child is just The Situation that needs to be dealt with. Kelsey's delusion of self and others is disturbingly convincing, though his gradual (one might argue inevitable) break with reality carries us perhaps to a somewhat melodramatic Highsmith is very adept at depicting the pathological mind, and she does an especially remarkable job here with David Kelsey, convinced that eventaully Annabelle will come to her senses and realize he's her one true love--the fact that she's married and expecting a child is just The Situation that needs to be dealt with. Kelsey's delusion of self and others is disturbingly convincing, though his gradual (one might argue inevitable) break with reality carries us perhaps to a somewhat melodramatic conclusion, in which symbolism (Kelsey is literally on the edge) gets heavy-handed. Annabelle's characterization is admittedly cipher-like. That might result in part from the fact that we experience events from Kelsey's perspective; though the novel is not first person, the narrative is inflected with his understanding, so we can't really always be sure whether what Kelsey perceives is accurate. Nevertheless (and perhaps this is also a function of reading in 2014 a book written in the 1950s), annabelle seemed singularly unable to recognize the dangerous stalker behaviour in which Kelsey was engaging; indeed, at times, it is hard to see how she responds to him as anything other than encouraging of his obsession, rather than (the presumably intended) reluctance to hurt him. The fact that she marries some other guy within months of the death of her husband also is hard to fathom, given the absence of any real insight into her character. On the other hand, the novel seems interested more generally in the irrational and potentially destructive nature of love, given that major secondary characters--Kelsey's friend Wes; or Effie, the girl who loves Kelsey --also have deeply problematic sexual relations or obsessions. Wes's marriage is presented as a hellish union with a control freak (though, perhaps significantly, we never actually meet his wife), while Effie seems as unaccountably infatuated with Kelsey as he is with Annabelle. Indeed, she is arguably on the verge of stalkerish herself.

That the plot depends on Kelsey accidentally killing not one but two people--Annabelle's husband, and then Effie--also adds a degree of the implausible/melodramatic to the story, but it's also more interesting to have Kelsey as a sort of hapless figure than what has come to be the stereotype of stalker as implacable killer.

Anyway, this is not really a crime novel, despite the two killings, but more of a psychological study. As such, I would recommend it. ...more

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Jan 16, 2017 Roberto rated it really liked it · review of another edition

'If something was damaged, it might be repaired.'

I love a classic schizo-thriller, they are hilarious, and this was unbelievably page-turnery. And it works because of that little bass-note of hope which Highsmith keeps giving us, like maybe everything will be ok? Obvs, you know it won't, but that suspension of the inevitable is glorious and awful and right at the end just whacks you in the heart. ...more

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Aug 20, 2018 Faith rated it liked it

Shelves: overdrive, audio

This was not one of my favorite Highsmith books. David is obsessed with Annabelle who is married to Gerald. He tries to woo her with letters and Annabelle has a very passive aggressive way of dealing with him. Gerald naturally objects to David's persistent attentions. Although it was obvious something bad had to happen (it's Highsmith after all), it took a long time to get to that point. Thereafter, the book is all about the lies David tells to everyone he knows. Since different lies were told t ...more

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Jun 28, 2015 Amy Gentry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-suspense

Among my favorite of Highsmith's novels, and definitely the most depraved. You just want to take a shower after being forced to sympathize and identify with a deluded stalker for a couple hundred pages. Nobody gets misogyny like Highsmith, probably because she hated men and women equally and could therefore inhabit the POV of a misogynist with natural ease. Only snails get off scot-free in Highsmith's world. ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 John rated it liked it

I'm sure we all at least once in our younger days had the experience of utter incredulity that the current object of our devotion shouldn't feel the same way about us: it was a mistake in the script, surely, that could be easily corrected if only everyone concerned would see sense.

That's the way young chemical engineer David Kelsey feels about Annabelle Delaney. She once told him she loved him, and on the strength of this he moved away from home to get a boring but lucrative job in a plastics co I'm sure we all at least once in our younger days had the experience of utter incredulity that the current object of our devotion shouldn't feel the same way about us: it was a mistake in the script, surely, that could be easily corrected if only everyone concerned would see sense.

That's the way young chemical engineer David Kelsey feels about Annabelle Delaney. She once told him she loved him, and on the strength of this he moved away from home to get a boring but lucrative job in a plastics company solely in order to earn enough money that they could get married. Little did he expect that hardly had his back been turned than she'd marry another, Gerald Delaney. Assuming Gerald must be just some monstrous aberration on her part, that she can't possibly love the man, David continues to woo her -- and has even bought a house where, under the alias William Neumeister, he spends his weekends pretending she's there with him.

When Gerald gets fed up with this situation, tracks him down and threatens him with a gun, David strikes out. In falling, Gerald cracks his skull and dies. The local cops accept that "William Neumeister" was simply defending himself against a drunken stranger, and David believes he's gotten away with it, but he reckons without the inevitable complications. Two of those complications are his dimwitted best friend, Wes, and Effie, a young woman who's fallen as hard for David as David has for Annabelle. A third complication is that David simply cannot believe that, now Gerald is out of the way, Annabelle won't fall delightedly into his arms . . .

I first became acquainted with this tale through the Robert Bloch-scripted adaptation of the novel as Annabel (1962) dir Paul Henreid (!) and starring Dean Stockwell, done as an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. (A more acclaimed screen version is DITES-LUI QUE JE L'AIME (1977; vt This Sweet Sickness) dir Claude Miller, with Gérard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Claude Piéplu and Dominique Laffin.) The Bloch adaptation simplifies things a bit, as you'd expect given that its running time is under fifty minutes, and also makes a number of pointless and infuriating changes of detail (in the novel David invents an invalid mother, in the adaptation it's an invalid father, Effie is renamed Linda, etc.).

More importantly, it focuses on the events of the novel's first half to the exclusion of the latter half. In this I think -- I know, I know, gasps of anguish at my philistine heresy -- it actually improves on Highsmith's original. The first portion of the book, up to the aftermath of the death of Gerald, is a tremendous, tight psychological thriller; I couldn't say I enjoyed it, precisely, because it had me squirming in abject discomfort as I sympathized in all directions with David even while being appalled at his facility for making things worse for himself and others -- which is exactly the effect I imagine Highsmith intended. The level of David's obsession is exaggerated -- he's the stalker from Hell -- but the exaggeration is maintained (masochistically) pleasurably within the bounds of credibility, just. The novel's second half, though, seemed to me to be venturing into overkill territory. I'm sure that someone as mentally deranged by his obsession as David could act the way he does in the second half, but Highsmith failed to persuade me that he actually did. Oddly enough, when he takes things to a complete extreme in the closing pages I was completely convinced again: it was the bit in between the almost-rational and the totally-over-the-edge that I had difficulty with.

Highsmith's prose is, as always, alluring and hypnotic: I was glued to the book, even the half of it I didn't believe. This Sweet Sickness isn't a novel I imagine anyone would regard as an ideal beach read but, if squirming's your thing, there's plenty of it to be had here. ...more

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Nov 03, 2021 Lauren rated it really liked it

I read in another review that this story is a slow burn until it bursts into flames, and that it’s because of Highsmith’s slight of hand writing that we know more than what is happening. I couldn’t have phrased it better. I really, really enjoyed this book.

David, the main character, is a guy that most people (especially women) will recognize from their past in some form or another. That person you dated briefly but it didn’t work out, and since then they WON’T leave you alone and WON’T take a hi ...more

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Mar 23, 2022 David rated it really liked it

Ultimately a bit disappointed in this particular Highsmith novel. At this point, I've read enough of the author's work to realize that she's always (more or less) dealing with a variation on her 'pet' theme of duplicity. To keep things fresh (and no doubt interesting for herself as a writer), Highsmith always needs a new angle - and here, as usual, the angle is new. It's also, as usual, in line with 'making the implausible plausible' (something I rarely have a problem buying into; otherwise we w ...more

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Feb 18, 2021 WJEP rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Remove the word "sweet" from the title. David is a psycho bowerbird trying to attract his flighty mate, Annabelle. David's many blunders get him in deep water. I don't know how he dodged the slammer or the nuthouse in the first half of the book.

Too many sickening details about David's delusions and too much whimpering, yet I kept reading. Highsmith makes it easy to read past your breaking point -- crisp sentences, short chapters, and a curious stench.

I feel a little like David: I'm in love with ...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Carla Remy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Re-reading one of my favorite books by my favorite authors. This was my second time, and I didn't love it quite as much as I did a decade ago. My one complaint is that it's too long (typical of me). But altogether still brilliant. About unrequited love and fantasy, it is told from the perspective of the one in the throes of these plagues, skewing the reader's view and expectations as he is shown as more and more insane. ...more

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Jun 21, 2021 Mary rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021

Eventually, I'm going to run out of Patricia Highsmith books, and then what am I gonna do?? ...more

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Dec 17, 2009 Tentatively, Convenience rated it liked it

Recommends it for: nobody

Shelves: literature, psychology

I haven't shelved this under "mystery" here b/c there was no mystery about it. The main character was doomed from the beginning & the painfulness of reading this was that it was so obvious. I knew that by reading it I'd just witness the increasing madness, the increasing sadness. DON'T READ THIS IF YOU'RE FEELING LONELY! Don't read this if you're feeling hopeless! It'll only make it worse (probably). I certainly feel worse from having read it. STILL, it was well-written. These days, I suppose, t ...more

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Aug 26, 2016 Jon Ureña rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, psychology, mental-illness

David Kelsey is a solitary man who dislikes most people and is unable to connect with them. He spends his free time daydreaming about building the perfect life with a girl he used to date, who is now married to someone else. This obsession makes life worth living for him. So far, relatable guy. Unfortunately for him and the people around him, he is also a hothead who intends to push his former girlfriend into fitting his idea of her.

The story is very competently written. You are in David's head ...more

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Nov 04, 2007 Gail rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense

I really liked this book and read it with the same horrified fascination I would have for a rattler headed right for my left leg. Super.

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Feb 21, 2021 Daisy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ny, favorites-2nd-place, audio-library-books, knitters-mentioned, boarding-house-or-hotel, connecticut

I love knowing nothing about a book before I begin.

This is genius. And I almost gave up about a quarter of the way into it.

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Dec 20, 2021 Tocotin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, contemporary-literature, kindle, women-writers

Patricia Highsmith’s writing has this mesmerizing effect on me; I’m terrified of what I’m guessing is going to happen, there is not much happening anyway, the characters are often unlikeable and unredeemable, the themes are repetitive, there’s misogyny and very little diversity, but I must read on. There’s something about the writing too – it’s clear and to the point and also very, very detailed. Not one of her books has ever disappointed me.

Not even this one, no, although it’s not my favorite o ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 Γιώργος rated it really liked it

Highsmith at what she knows best, writing a both realistic and deeply disturbing story. Having read the first installments of the Ripliad, it was clear that the main character was really an early version of Mr Ripley, so if you enjoyed any book of the Mr Ripley Series, be sure to read This Sweet Sickness too.

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About Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith

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Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.

She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.

She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.

Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.

Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.

In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.

Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.

She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."

She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.

Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010

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