A Suspension of Mercy
A Virago Modern Classic
Published on 6. November 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-349-00457-0 (ISBN)
Description
BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, CAROL AND STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
'Bears Highsmith's unique, unsurpassed mixture of unsettling psychological insights' THE TIMES
'The original, the best, the gloriously twisted Queen of Suspense' MARK BILLINGHAM
'Highsmith's novels are peerlessly disturbing . . . bad dreams that keep us thrashing for the rest of the night' NEW YORKER
Sydney Bartleby has killed his wife. At least, he has thought about it, compulsively, repeatedly, plotting schemes, designing escapes, forging alibis. Of course he has; he's a thriller writer. He even knows how to dispose of her body. But when Alicia takes a long, unannounced holiday, Sydney descends into the treacherous world of his own fantasy.
A masterpiece of noir fantasy in which Highsmith revels in eliciting the unsettling psychological forces that lurk beneath the surface of everyday life.
'Bears Highsmith's unique, unsurpassed mixture of unsettling psychological insights' THE TIMES
'The original, the best, the gloriously twisted Queen of Suspense' MARK BILLINGHAM
'Highsmith's novels are peerlessly disturbing . . . bad dreams that keep us thrashing for the rest of the night' NEW YORKER
Sydney Bartleby has killed his wife. At least, he has thought about it, compulsively, repeatedly, plotting schemes, designing escapes, forging alibis. Of course he has; he's a thriller writer. He even knows how to dispose of her body. But when Alicia takes a long, unannounced holiday, Sydney descends into the treacherous world of his own fantasy.
A masterpiece of noir fantasy in which Highsmith revels in eliciting the unsettling psychological forces that lurk beneath the surface of everyday life.
Reviews / Votes
Bears Highsmith's unique, unsurpassed mixture of unsettling psychological insights, moods of tension and malice, and an ending of brilliant ambiguity * The Times * Highsmith is a giant of the genre. The original, the best, the gloriously twisted Queen of Suspense -- Mark Billingham Highsmith was every bit as deviant and quirky as her mischievous heroes, and didn't seem to mind if everyone knew it -- J. G. Ballard * Daily Telegraph * A Suspension of Mercy, a masterpiece of noir fantasy. With this novel, Highsmith revels in eliciting the unsettling psychological forces that lurk beneath the surface of everyday contemporary life. For eliciting the menace that lurks in familiar surroundings, there's no one like Patricia Highsmith * Time * Highsmith's novels are peerlessly disturbing . . . bad dreams that keep us thrashing for the rest of the night * New Yorker * It's a curious and absorbing novel, almost unique in its fantastic and ironic tone -- Anthony Boucher * New York Times * A literary hall of mirrors in which reality and fiction are constantly reflected and, ultimately, confused -- Andrew WilsonMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 123 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
213 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-349-00457-0 (9780349004570)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2014
Virago Press Ltd
€3.99
Available for download
Persons
Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and moved to New York when she was six. In her senior year, she edited the college magazine, having decided at the age of sixteen to become a writer. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train (1950), was made into a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951. The Talented Mr Ripley (1955), introduced the fascinating anti-hero Tom Ripley, and was made into an Oscar-winning film in 1999 by Anthony Minghella. Highsmith died in Locarno, Switzerland, in February 1995. Her last novel, Small g: A Summer Idyll, was published posthumously, the same year.