One of the dark story of Highsmith. Passion, jalousy, etc. As usual, a very fine psychological analysis of the characters.
Adapted to the screen by Michel Deville with Jean-Louis Trintignant and Isabelle Huppert ("Eaux profondes").
Original english version.

I will organize a bookring.

The bookring is being organized, so far the list is:

1. jamieh2003, West Virginia, USA
2. Plinius, Rotterdam, Netherlands
3. Nadou, Lille, France

I've put a list inside the book but please check the journal entry before sending it to the next reader. Just in case.

Enjoy your reading!

Released on Thursday, December 04, 2003 at Mailed to another BCer in West Virginia, USA, Bookring Controlled Releases.

Mailed to jamieh2003.

Received today via mail. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this bookring kiddie and for the beautiful postard :-) I'll be starting this book this evening and moving it on to Plinius when through with it.

As always, Highsmith excels in these little tales of suburban sociopathies.

Victor Van Allen, husband and father finds himself in the unenviable position of being the neighborhood cuckold. But despite social pressures from friends maintains a calm and dispassionate face in the midst of what most would think would be a humiliating situation and calmly structures his life around maintaining his existence for his child and his own self-interests. After being humiliated by his wife repeatedly he reacts with such a calm and stealthy manner that not many actually suspect that he could be capable of such cold-blooded responses to his wife's misbehaviour.

This made for an intriguing look into the mind of a man approaching middle age who watches his world slipping away from him. My problem is, and I say this only half jokingly, I completely identified with him as he perpetrated despicable acts upon even more despicable people. Hmmm....what does that say about me, I wonder?
I found myself more completely identifying with him than with his so-called "victims".


Like with her previous work I'd read, The Talented Mr. Ripley, I found myself identifying very emapthetically towards the "bad guy" , so to speak. Which is a bit disturbing on one level but on the other hand it also goes to show Highsmiths talent that people might actually be pulling for the one not ususally considered the hero by society.

Excellent reading and HIGHLY recommended. Thanks again Kiddie for a wonderful reading experience! I plan to release this to Plinius within the next day or so as soon as the snow and ice have cleared enough to allow me to get to the Post Office.

Released on Friday, December 19, 2003 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Sorry for the delay getting this out...been trapped at home with ice and snow and this is the first I've been able to get out. Via mail to Plinius.

Came today by post, thanks jamieh2003! With beautiful postcards from Lisboa and Cumberland! I'll find a Dutch card for you.. but first I'm going to read..

I also found myself completely identifying with Vic, although I cannot remember having many murderous intentions myself, but then I'm in an entirely different position. But that is the magic of a good story to me, when it enables me to understand characters and situations outside my own experience. A wonderful read!

...

I haven't heard from Nadou yet, but when I do, I'll post Deep Water.

Released on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at book ring in Mailed to fellow bookcrosser, Postal Release Controlled Releases.

I've just received the book.
I'm going to read it very soon!