In 1950s New York, Tom Ripley is a young grifter struggling to make ends meet through petty mail fraud. When wealthy industrialist Herbert Greenleaf mistakes Tom for a friend of his son, Dickie, he hires Tom to travel to Italy to persuade the runaway heir to return home. Once in the seaside village of Mongibello, Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie’s lifestyle, wardrobe, and social ease. To preserve his place in this world, Tom murders Dickie and assumes his identity, utilizing forged signatures and clever disguises to stay ahead of the authorities and Dickie's suspicious girlfriend, Marge Sherwood.
Readers of psychological noir and crime fiction find interest in this book because it shifts focus from the investigator to the perpetrator. It appeals to those fascinated by the mechanics of social climbing and the morality of self-invention. The reader walks away with a detailed study of an amoral protagonist who functions without the burden of guilt. They see exactly how a lack of fixed identity allows a person to manipulate social hierarchies and commit violence to avoid returning to poverty.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1955
- Language
- EN
