I’m still fascinated by Jonathan’s motivation in Ripley’s Game, and I find it both unsettling and heartbreaking to watch. That almost nails it for me in Highsmith’s writing: she manages to make a compelling and suspenseful plot narrative constantly evolve, in the most thrilling fashion, but I couldn’t get over how touching the last third of the book was, and it was a major turning point in the Ripley saga for me. Before I adored the wicked humor, but there wasn’t a core emotional thread, and I was amazed that Highsmith managed to so unexpectedly weave it in.

Keep your eyes peeled for when I get around to doing a more in-depth set of Ripley/Highsmith posts, but I’m thrilled to count you as a reader, and your comments are always appreciated.

This is the most interesting part of the books for me. I’ve heard so many critics remark that we’re drawn to Tom because his charm makes up for his actions, but I’ve always felt that we’re drawn to him *because* of his actions. Highsmith doesn’t just paint her characters as amoral and allow us to wag our fingers at them; she exposes the totally artificial nature of society’s sense of morality, making us think that we would do the same thing as Tom (or Jonathan in “Ripley’s Game”) under certain circumstances.

In regards to your earlier comment, I also think that the series quality remains consistently high, though I don’t know if I could pick a favorite. Ripley’s Game is excellent; when I first read the whole series, I read them back-to-back in about a month, and I couldn’t even believe that there was an ongoing saga that never dipped in suspense or quality. Specifically, I was amazed at how deftly Highsmith wove in a real emotional narrative with the 3rd book, never sacrificing the thrills or chills.

I’ll have to take a look at both films when I get the chance, as I don’t have a Netflix account. At least, not yet, anyway.

And you’re right: there is something about Highsmith’s writing that I can’t quite describe, but there’s a level of psychological depth there that that almost makes you feel that Tom is living and breathing in the same room with you. Even more unsettling? There were so many points in reading the books that I felt that it was even more than identifying with the character of Tom Ripley, but that I almost felt like I was him. Taking a tour through his mind is a chilling and yet luxurious place to be. Anything can go wrong at any moment, and yet it feels oddly comforting. Highsmith’s humor is an exceptional point there, but even that is only a small part of the picture. I honestly think it’s some of the finest writing I’ve ever read.

Thanks for the comments, Craig.

I’m curious as to what you thought about the final book in the saga, Ripley Under Water. I’ve heard other Ripley fans trash it as weaker, but I found it to be almost agonizing to read through, and could barely stand to see what was going to happen in the final pages.

One of these days I’m going to do full and separate posts on the Ripley saga and I’ll go into much greater detail than I did with this little blurb, so please stay tuned for those, and I’d welcome any more of your wonderful feedback. Thank you again, Craig.

“It’s hard to define what they are exactly. Mysteries? Thrillers?” If I had to label them, it would be suspense. Even though the fact that there are five books lets you know that Ripley gets away with it all, I still read them anxiously anticipating what happened next.

As for Ripley’s sexuality, I suppose he’s technically bisexual, since he’s clearly attracted to both genders, but I’d more readily call him asexual, since sex of any kind doesn’t interest him much.

I’m not a fan of the 1999 film. They turned a wonderfully complex and fascinating character into just another generic queer serial killer, and Ripley seems to just stumble upon the idea of identity theft accidentally. “Well, I’ve killed Dickie. Oh, I can imitate him too? Great!” I hate to sound like a cranky “the book was better” snob, but every change the movie made was for the worse and made everything less interesting.

And I’m glad you appreciate the humor of the books. Few people seem to.

“I’m going to operate with the understanding that we may never see a faithful film chronicle of Tom, and to recreate the books might generally be impossible to start with.”

If you have a Netflix account, give “The American Friend” a try. The plot isn’t entirely faithful to the book (“Ripley’s Game”), and Dennis Hopper’s Ripley walks around in clothing that the Ripley of the books wouldn’t be caught dead wearing (a mechanic’s jumpsuit and a cowboy hat), but the movie nails the intention of the book and, despite his looks, Hopper gives the most faithful characterization of Ripley. And this movie is the only Ripley adaptation to capture the humor of the books.

I’ve read the glowing reviews of “Ripley’s Game” with John Malkovich, saying that he perfectly captured the Ripley of the books, but I didn’t feel that way at all. He’s too confident and sure of himself throughout the film, whereas the Ripley of the books is only confident and sure of himself half the time and totally insecure and petty the other half, and Hopper captured that better. Not a bad movie, but it’s not the book.