by Caroline Dalzell

Created on: March 01, 2009

The Talented Mr Ripley will shock you and make you feel uneasy. The protagonist, Tom Ripley, is so cleverly conveyed and the devastation he wreaks is both believable and troubling in equal measures. The tale of the despicable life Tom leads and how this transforms from monstrous to murderous when his path crosses Dickie Greenleaf's, this book is fantastically dark. You won't be able to stop yourself turning the page, disbelieving what you are reading and willing Tom's comeuppance to arrive.

A truly compelling novel that will have you fixated from the opening line: Tom glanced behind him and saw the man coming out of the Green Cage, heading his way.' This accelerated pace is maintained throughout the novel as we witness Tom Ripley deteriorate before our eyes.

On the surface, Tom is a slightly-uneasy but sweet individual who leads a sad life. The reality, however, is far removed. Tom is a loser and a drifter, a twenty-something nobody who leads a life of lies. He commits fraud to obtain money wrongfully, dosses on people's sofas just to have a roof over his head; he's spent his whole life running from responsibility.

When Fate brings him into Dickie Greenleaf's life, his pathetic existence becomes much darker and we witness a frightening spiral of events that lead to a shocking conclusion. Dickie has a life Tom wants, triggering a disturbing change in Tom. Dickie is handsome, charming and has an idyllic life in Italy where he spends his days painting, enjoying boat trips and quietly falling in love with Marge. At first, Dickie and Marge take pity on Tom and let him be a part of their lives, humouring his weird whims. But soon Tom's obsession with Dickie surfaces and he struggles to hide his jealousy of Marge's time with Dickie, and the cracks in his mental state start to show. One day Tom is caught dressing up in Dickie's clothes and imitating his mannerisms; Dickie and Marge decide it is time for their uninvited guest to leave. But Tom Ripley wants Dickie's life so much, wants to be Dickie, to such an extent that he knows no limits to achieving this. Will he really kill to have his way?

At times you can't comprehend Tom's thoughts and actions; Highsmith so cleverly portrays the schizophrenic murderer. We are given glimpses into Tom's world, his warped thought processes, his cold dismissals of guilt, twisting reality and bending it to fit with his wants and needs. Surely he can't get away with it?

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