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L'amico Americano (1974)

by Patricia Highsmith(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

RCS Quotidiani S.p.A.

series

Ripley

review 1: A reread as per the others. Compelling and psychologically vivid, and the social portrait of expat life in rural France charming as before. This one is about an innocent person who snubs Ripley; Ripley takes an idle revenge which then spirals out into a storm that he can't reel back in, though he guiltily tries to. Not the best thing to reread, since if one knows what is going to happen, one is just sad rather than exhilarated by suspense. And one is sorry not to spend as much time in Ripley's head in this book as one is used to, as well.
review 2: Ripley plays games with a local man, Jonathan, which ends up with J's life spiralling out of control. They become associates of sorts when Ripley, feeling slightly guilty for once, decides to help J out and ends up i... moren trouble himself. I found it another nail in the coffin (bad analogy?) of Ripley's personality/psychopathic nature. Not only does R kill without any emotion except euphoria, but he doesn't mind treating people like mice in his little game of hunt or be hunted.It's well written, a good book, worth a read for it's cleverness, but somehow I felt squeamish about Ripley in this one instead of sympathetic. Prior to the Highsmith had managed to make me like a thoroughly awful character. less

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