Victor, at eleven, lives with his mother in New York City. She insists that he wear short pants, recite poetry for her friends, and in many ways humiliates him. One day she brings home a terrapin with the idea of making turtle soup. Victor, friendless himself, begins to play with the terrapin. But his mother quickly begins preparation for her soup. She mercilessly throws the animal in hot water and carves him up. That night...well, you can guess if you haven't read it yourself.
Many claim the mother in this story bore a strong resemblance to Highsmith's mother. Mary Highsmith told everyone she had tried to abort Patricia using turpentine. Patricia did not attend her mother's funeral.
11 comments:
Sounds like Stephen Sondheim's relationship with his mother, who told him the biggest mistake she ever made was to give birth to him. I did read all of Highsmith's collections a few years ago.
I have three short story collections going at the moment:
A CENTURY OF FICTION IN THE NEW YORKER. George reviewed this one. So far I've read (in some cases, reread) stories by E. B. White, Vladimir Nabokov, Eudora Welty, Donald Barthelme, Muriel Spark, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Nadine Gordimer.
Lauren Groff, FLORIDA. So far, I am finding this considerably darker than her first collection.
Paul Doiron, SKIN AND BONES. A collection of his short stories about Maine game wardens.
I have read the Groff collection and many of Highsmith's stories.
Highsmith, to me, is one of those authors who was as good at short stories as she was at novels. That's not an easy thing to do, I don't think.
Also, along with "The Sanil Watcher," one of my favorite Highsmith stories.
Well, that's a dark story. I don't think I have read any stories by Highsmith, and only one novel, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.
A story of hers in which she imbues the dull (in the sense of dull, everyday pain) horror of her early life with her mother. Takes "Saki"'s similar exercises to a(n even) more intense level. Definitely one of her more memorable ones. One can see the metaphorical and probable actual youthful attraction for her in this mode of animals, such as terrapins and snails, who carry their protection with them. She would return to snails of a sort with her less psychodramatic, more broadly darkly amusing "The Quest for Blank Claveringi" (in THE SATURDAY EVENING POST in its late not-quite-nostalgia-primarily years).
The Talented Mr. Ripley is my favorite of her novels. She was not a pleasant woman. The Price of Salt was very good too. And the movie of it Carol is terrific.
Though Marijane Meaker was a very nice person to meet, who found something more in her, while not blind to her Difficulty... https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2011/01/ffb-1952-marijane-meaker-as-vin-packer.html
I do plan on reading The Talented Mr. Ripley, and if I like it, I will read more in the series.
I enjoyed that list of short story collections set in small towns.
I've read very little Highsmith. TALENTED is likely the only novel of hers I read. The somewhat recent biography of Highsmith looked very interesting though.
Further testimony for the prosecution! https://yalereview.org/article/working-for-patricia-highsmith
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