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Eleven
From the eerily outlandish to the dark and brutal, Eleven presents a gallery of bizarre characters, each driven by strange unspoken urges, whose cumulative effect is at least as unsettling as any of Highsmith's previous novels.
Contains:
-The Snail-Watcher
-The Birds Poised to Fly
-The Terrapin
-When the Fleet was in at Mobile
-The Quest for "Blank Claveringi"
-The Cries of Love
-Mrs. Afton, Among Thy Green Braes
-The Heroine
-Another Bridge to Cross
-The Barbarians
-The Empty Birdcage
Contains:
-The Snail-Watcher
-The Birds Poised to Fly
-The Terrapin
-When the Fleet was in at Mobile
-The Quest for "Blank Claveringi"
-The Cries of Love
-Mrs. Afton, Among Thy Green Braes
-The Heroine
-Another Bridge to Cross
-The Barbarians
-The Empty Birdcage
169 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
253 people are currently reading
3988 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Highsmith
486 books5,037 followersPatricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.
She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.
Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.
Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.
In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.
Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.
She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."
She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.
Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010
She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.
Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.
Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.
In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.
Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.
She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."
She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.
Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
March 22, 2023
“frustration,..clamped his shoulders, weighed like a stone in his body, pressed hatred and tears up to his eyes, as if a volcano were churning in him.”
Patricia Highsmith —the queen of creepy, but quietly so. Only one story is overtly violent (The Terrapin). All the stories have a high creep factor. Eleven is a collection of some of her stories that have enough variety not to be the same old thing and enough subtlety to show off her skills as a writer.
Her famous love of snails is shown off in two of the stories, ironically ones that get the closest to some humor, dark humor of course. Highsmith enjoyed taking her pet snails with her to shock people at parties and crossed borders with snails under her breasts. You wouldn’t expect fairy tales with happy endings from such a woman.
If you want to edge your way quietly into Highsmith before tackling a full on novel such as The Talented Mr. Ridley, this is a good place to start.
Patricia Highsmith —the queen of creepy, but quietly so. Only one story is overtly violent (The Terrapin). All the stories have a high creep factor. Eleven is a collection of some of her stories that have enough variety not to be the same old thing and enough subtlety to show off her skills as a writer.
Her famous love of snails is shown off in two of the stories, ironically ones that get the closest to some humor, dark humor of course. Highsmith enjoyed taking her pet snails with her to shock people at parties and crossed borders with snails under her breasts. You wouldn’t expect fairy tales with happy endings from such a woman.
If you want to edge your way quietly into Highsmith before tackling a full on novel such as The Talented Mr. Ridley, this is a good place to start.
June 2, 2022
I keep expecting to find a Patricia Highsmith novel that sucks, but happily, have not found one yet. This is her first collection of stories, introduced by none other than Graham Greene, who reveals he is a fan (his favorite of her books at the point was Tremor of Forgery). Greene, a terrific writer of essays as well as novels and fiction, uses two words repeatedly to emphasize what he thinks are Highsmith’s primary characteristics/strengths: Apprehension, (not fear) and irrationality. And the two are linked: We get that tightness in our chest and shallow breathing as we begin to suspect bad things will happen, because her main characters make irrational decisions.
Greene says--and I agree--that there is no evidence in this collection of the new writer stumbling through mistakes. Most short story collections are uneven, and this one is almost uniformly strong. So strong, Greene says, in so much of her writing, that Highsmith has entered into the reputational realm of The Greats Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but unlike their worlds, "This is a world without moral endings. It has nothing in common with the heroic world of her peers, Hammett and Chandler, and her detectives (. . .) have nothing in common with the romantic and disillusioned private eyes who will always, we know, triumph over evil and see that justice is done."
I’ll say this: Highsmith was an animal lover, preferring nature over humans, so three (weird) stories about creatures are, if not my favorites, will be hard to get out of my head. More horror stories than mystery/suspense. I have never read any other nature stories in any of her novels. There are two malevolent snail stories here (Snails were a lifelong love of Highsmith), and a story about a Terrapin, too.
The Snail Watcher ★★★★
The story of a mild-mannered man who is delighted to find his snails mating--cool? Creepy? And then they multiply, and multiply. . . a kind of Twilight Zone story nothing like any of Highsmith novels, creepy. This is the second instance of a mention of the sexual practices of snails, something that Highsmith knew about because she collected and raised them.
The Terrapin · ★★★★½
The story of a boy dominated and belittled by his mother. When he thinks she has brought a Terrapin home for him as a pet, he discovers. . . the plan is turtle soup for supper! Is he crazy not wanting to eat supper? If you read this and were planning on eating turtle soup for supper, you might decide to go out instead. I prefer the psychological suspense stories to the animal tales generally, but all of them here are well done.
When the Fleet Was in at Mobile · ★★★★★
Greene said this was his favorite of the collection. It’s the story of an unhappy wife, a former sex worker whose husband “rescues” her from the life, then belittles her constantly. She is a non-violent, so nice person (as we find in Highmsith throughout, one who is pushed to her limit). Well, after she uses the chloroform on him, she is free, right?
The Quest For Blank Claveringi · ★★★
Another “snail” story, only these snails are giant, and man-eating, and the man, Dr. Clavering, hoping to document the existence of the snail for his own posterity, well . . . .The good doc is quite sure he has a superior intellect to the snail! Horror story.
The Heroine · ★★★★★
Highsmith’s own favorite in the collection, the story of a nanny who is taken in by a wealthy family after her “mentally disturbed” mother dies. The doc assures her she will be fine, not crazy! She wants to prove her worth to her new family by enacting some event where she has to rescue the children, and thus become the heroine. Irrational act!
The Barbarians ·★★★½
This is unusual for Highsmith in that it features a group of drunken guys as “barbarians," as Highsmith prefers her barbarians with nice clothes, who are lovers of art and literature. Well, the main character is a painter here, bullied by the guys. Can he get them to stop? The surprise in this story is more in what not happens, which I like for a change.
Greene says--and I agree--that there is no evidence in this collection of the new writer stumbling through mistakes. Most short story collections are uneven, and this one is almost uniformly strong. So strong, Greene says, in so much of her writing, that Highsmith has entered into the reputational realm of The Greats Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but unlike their worlds, "This is a world without moral endings. It has nothing in common with the heroic world of her peers, Hammett and Chandler, and her detectives (. . .) have nothing in common with the romantic and disillusioned private eyes who will always, we know, triumph over evil and see that justice is done."
I’ll say this: Highsmith was an animal lover, preferring nature over humans, so three (weird) stories about creatures are, if not my favorites, will be hard to get out of my head. More horror stories than mystery/suspense. I have never read any other nature stories in any of her novels. There are two malevolent snail stories here (Snails were a lifelong love of Highsmith), and a story about a Terrapin, too.
The Snail Watcher ★★★★
The story of a mild-mannered man who is delighted to find his snails mating--cool? Creepy? And then they multiply, and multiply. . . a kind of Twilight Zone story nothing like any of Highsmith novels, creepy. This is the second instance of a mention of the sexual practices of snails, something that Highsmith knew about because she collected and raised them.
The Terrapin · ★★★★½
The story of a boy dominated and belittled by his mother. When he thinks she has brought a Terrapin home for him as a pet, he discovers. . . the plan is turtle soup for supper! Is he crazy not wanting to eat supper? If you read this and were planning on eating turtle soup for supper, you might decide to go out instead. I prefer the psychological suspense stories to the animal tales generally, but all of them here are well done.
When the Fleet Was in at Mobile · ★★★★★
Greene said this was his favorite of the collection. It’s the story of an unhappy wife, a former sex worker whose husband “rescues” her from the life, then belittles her constantly. She is a non-violent, so nice person (as we find in Highmsith throughout, one who is pushed to her limit). Well, after she uses the chloroform on him, she is free, right?
The Quest For Blank Claveringi · ★★★
Another “snail” story, only these snails are giant, and man-eating, and the man, Dr. Clavering, hoping to document the existence of the snail for his own posterity, well . . . .The good doc is quite sure he has a superior intellect to the snail! Horror story.
The Heroine · ★★★★★
Highsmith’s own favorite in the collection, the story of a nanny who is taken in by a wealthy family after her “mentally disturbed” mother dies. The doc assures her she will be fine, not crazy! She wants to prove her worth to her new family by enacting some event where she has to rescue the children, and thus become the heroine. Irrational act!
The Barbarians ·★★★½
This is unusual for Highsmith in that it features a group of drunken guys as “barbarians," as Highsmith prefers her barbarians with nice clothes, who are lovers of art and literature. Well, the main character is a painter here, bullied by the guys. Can he get them to stop? The surprise in this story is more in what not happens, which I like for a change.
April 25, 2023
#abrilcontosmil
Parece que me picou o bichinho da Patricia Highsmith depois da colecção de contos que li em Dezembro último. Não sendo grande fã de thrillers mas gostando de histórias inquietantes, acho que estas aqui têm o tamanho perfeito para sentir o nervoso miudinho até se chegar a desfechos muito satisfatórios mesmo ao virar da esquina.
“Miss Highsmith é muito mais a poetisa da apreensão do que do terror. (...) A apreensão importuna-nos continuamente os nervos, de modo insinuante mas inevitável”. Quem o diz, num prefácio muito elogioso, é Graham Greene, que chama a atenção para vários contos que também foram do meu agrado.
Há quatro contos relacionados com animais que implicam mortes violentas, mas na sua maioria há apenas tensão entre pessoas que invadem o espaço das outras ou perturbam a sua paz, pequenos delitos e desequilíbrios mentais em vários graus.
“O Observador de Caracóis” é uma compilação muito uniforme a nível de qualidade, mas há duas histórias que se evidenciam, “Mais uma Ponte a Atravessar” e “Heroína”, que mostram a versatilidade da autora, que tanto cria uma atmosfera melancólica com uma insinuação de ameaça...
De manhã cedo mudou de roupa, vestiu umas calças confortáveis e uma camisa desportiva, e a seguir regressou ao jardim com um livro, que não leu. Só ali se sentia em segurança, como se pudesse alcançar algo mais da vida ou da sua própria existência.
...como torna a ameaça flagrante para o leitor através de uma louca sob uma capa angelical.
Sentia-se maravilhosamente forte e segura da sua força mental e da sua posição na casa. “Eu e o Sr. Christiansen estamos muito satisfeitos consigo, Lucille." Só havia realmente uma coisa que faltava naquela felicidade: tinha de pôr a sua própria pessoa à prova numa crise.
O Observador de caracóis - 4*
Os pássaros suspensos no voo - 4*
A tartaruga - 4*
Quando a esquadra estava em Mobile - 4*
À procura do Blank Claveringi - 4*
Os prantos da afeição - 4*
A Sra. Afton, entre "As tuas encostas verdejantes" - 3*
Heroína - 5*
Mais uma ponte a atravessar - 5*
Os bárbaros – 5*
O ninho vazio – 4*
Parece que me picou o bichinho da Patricia Highsmith depois da colecção de contos que li em Dezembro último. Não sendo grande fã de thrillers mas gostando de histórias inquietantes, acho que estas aqui têm o tamanho perfeito para sentir o nervoso miudinho até se chegar a desfechos muito satisfatórios mesmo ao virar da esquina.
“Miss Highsmith é muito mais a poetisa da apreensão do que do terror. (...) A apreensão importuna-nos continuamente os nervos, de modo insinuante mas inevitável”. Quem o diz, num prefácio muito elogioso, é Graham Greene, que chama a atenção para vários contos que também foram do meu agrado.
Há quatro contos relacionados com animais que implicam mortes violentas, mas na sua maioria há apenas tensão entre pessoas que invadem o espaço das outras ou perturbam a sua paz, pequenos delitos e desequilíbrios mentais em vários graus.
“O Observador de Caracóis” é uma compilação muito uniforme a nível de qualidade, mas há duas histórias que se evidenciam, “Mais uma Ponte a Atravessar” e “Heroína”, que mostram a versatilidade da autora, que tanto cria uma atmosfera melancólica com uma insinuação de ameaça...
De manhã cedo mudou de roupa, vestiu umas calças confortáveis e uma camisa desportiva, e a seguir regressou ao jardim com um livro, que não leu. Só ali se sentia em segurança, como se pudesse alcançar algo mais da vida ou da sua própria existência.
...como torna a ameaça flagrante para o leitor através de uma louca sob uma capa angelical.
Sentia-se maravilhosamente forte e segura da sua força mental e da sua posição na casa. “Eu e o Sr. Christiansen estamos muito satisfeitos consigo, Lucille." Só havia realmente uma coisa que faltava naquela felicidade: tinha de pôr a sua própria pessoa à prova numa crise.
O Observador de caracóis - 4*
Os pássaros suspensos no voo - 4*
A tartaruga - 4*
Quando a esquadra estava em Mobile - 4*
À procura do Blank Claveringi - 4*
Os prantos da afeição - 4*
A Sra. Afton, entre "As tuas encostas verdejantes" - 3*
Heroína - 5*
Mais uma ponte a atravessar - 5*
Os bárbaros – 5*
O ninho vazio – 4*
July 28, 2024
Patricia Highsmith had a thing for snails. She kept around 300 of them as pets and carried some around in her handbag. And they feature prominently in two of the stories from this sinister collection. In fact, The Quest for Blank Claveringi was my favourite of the whole lot, about a scientist who travels to remote island in the hope of discovering a new species of giant snail. The ending of that one has haunted me since.
There is an unsettling tone to the majority of these tales. The characters within may seem normal on the surface, but they are often grappling with hidden demons, like the young governess in The Heroine. Not all of the stories hit the mark, and the ones that do leave a bitter aftertaste. Highsmith always seemed intrigued by the darker side of human nature - this anthology proves that she was an expert in portraying troubled souls, and finding horror in scenes of everyday life.
There is an unsettling tone to the majority of these tales. The characters within may seem normal on the surface, but they are often grappling with hidden demons, like the young governess in The Heroine. Not all of the stories hit the mark, and the ones that do leave a bitter aftertaste. Highsmith always seemed intrigued by the darker side of human nature - this anthology proves that she was an expert in portraying troubled souls, and finding horror in scenes of everyday life.
January 21, 2020
A estas alturas no es ningún secreto que Patricia Highsmith es una de mis diosas literarias. La descubrí primero con la serie de Ripley y a partir de ahí, me intenté leer casi todas sus novelas, y digo "casi" todas, porque no he tenido prisa para leérmelas todas porque no quiero que se me acaben, así que de vez en cuando hago una inmersión en sus cuentos, como en este caso.
11 relatos que giran en torno a las obsesiones de la Highsmith, la soledad, la angustia existencial y los caracoles. El prólogo es de Graham Greene que expresa perfectamente lo que supone la escritura de esta escritora:
"Es una escritora que ha creado su propio mundo, un mundo claustrofóbico e irracional, en el cual entramos cada vez con un sentimiento de peligro personal, con la cabeza inclinada para mirar por encima del hombro, incluso con cierta renuencia, pues vamos a experimentar placeres crueles, hasta que, en algún punto, allá por el capitulo tercero, se cierra la frontera detrás de nosotros... (...) Nada es seguro, una vez traspuesta esta frontera. No es el mundo tal como creíamos conocerlo, pero resulta inquietantemente más real para nosotros que la casa de los vecinos".
De estos relatos, los hay algunos mejores que otros, pero en general son puro Patricia Highsmith, sin juicios morales, el miedo incluso a existir de sus personajes: siempre he tenido la impresión de que los argumentos ideados por Patricia Highsmith son una excusa para indagar en las mentes de sus personajes. A continuación algunas pequeñas reflexiones en torno a los once relatos:
1. "El Observador de Caracoles": Un cuento que me ha recordado algo a Cronenberg, porque la obsesión del protagonista por los caracoles es bastante bizarro y crudo. Graham Greene en el prológo dice que el protagonista se siente con respecto a los caracoles como Patricia en su relaciones con las personas: los observaba detenidamente con frialdad pero no los queria cerca. Un cuento muy voyeur. El final es impactante.
2."Los pájaros a punto de volar": Esta es una historia tipicamente highsmithiana; en apenas unas páginas la Highsmith construye un personaje neurótico, continuamente dándole vueltas a lo mismo y obsesionándos en torno a la misma idea. Pero es que además es fascinantemente real, cualquiera se podrá sentir identificado con la ansiedad de esperar respuesta a una carta (hoy en dia whatsap, correos o llamadas). 5 stars.
3."La tortuga de agua dulce": Otro de esos cuentos ásperos y claustrofóbicos de la Highsmith, en este caso, la rutina diaria desde el punto de vista de un niño con una madre represora e inestable. Es un cuento triste porque no puedes dejar de pensar en la cantidad de niños que debe haber en el mundo con adultos incompetentes ocupándose de ellos. Grandisima Patricia. (5 estrellas)
4."Cuando la escuadra llegó a Mobile": Otro de esos cuentos impactantes, aunque la verdad que para esta autora hay un elemento de terror en el día a día, como en este cuento. Una mujer huye de su marido y durante su huida, recuerda su vida antes de que él llegara y después. El terror. Y hay un momento en que reflexiona: "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que no eras realmente tu misma?". (5 estrellas)
5."En busca de Tal o cual Claveringi": No me ha gustado demasiado. De nuevo aquí un tema que obesionaba a la Highsmith: los caracoles. En este caso caracoles gigantes. (2 estrellas)
6. "Gritos de amor": dos personas que viven juntas no se soportan y sus pequeños gestos de venganza y de resentimiento la una con la otra son de una crueldad que las desgasta emocionalmente. Asi y todo se necesitan porque si no la soledad las consumiria: prefieren odiarse y estar juntas que estar solas. Conozco a mucha gente que vive así. (3 estrellas)
7. "Señora Afton, entre tus verdes laderas": Me ha gustado mucho este cuento no tanto por ese giro sorprendente hacia el final sino por el retrato del personaje de la señora Afton. Otro cuento sobre la soledad. (4 estrellas)
8. "La Heroína": Lucille entra a trabajar como la niñera de los dos niños de los Christensen y pronto a medida que este cuento avanza nos vamos dando cuenta de que Lucille es otro de esos personajes protípicos de Patricia Highsmith: obsesiva, ambigua en sus relaciones con las pocas personas con las que trata. Me fascina la Highsmith cuando crea este tipo de personajes tan suyos. (4 estrellas)
9. "Otro puente por cruzar": Merrick ha perdido a su mujer e hijo en un accidente y decide viajar a Italia en un intento de tomarse su tiempo para su duelo. Viaja, pasea, y parece que nada le afecte ya a estas alturas solo los pequeños y rutinarios detalles del día a día. (3 estrellas)
10. "Los bárbaros": Un relato adelantado a su tiempo, o mejor dicho, un relato muy actual porque de lo que trata es de la violencia en las grandes ciudades: jóvenes que parecen aburridos en espera de la menor excusa para lanzarse a combatir el aburrimiento mediante la violencia. (3 estrellas)
11. "La pajarera vacia": Es otro de esos cuentos angustiantes. Bajo la excusa de un extraño y misterioso animal que aparece en casa de un matrimonio, parece que salen a relucir las carencias sobre todo de ella, Edith, una mujer insatisfecha y extraña. Un cuento típico de highsmithiano. (5 estrellas)
"Pero Edith apretó los dientes para reprimir un alarido".
11 relatos que giran en torno a las obsesiones de la Highsmith, la soledad, la angustia existencial y los caracoles. El prólogo es de Graham Greene que expresa perfectamente lo que supone la escritura de esta escritora:
"Es una escritora que ha creado su propio mundo, un mundo claustrofóbico e irracional, en el cual entramos cada vez con un sentimiento de peligro personal, con la cabeza inclinada para mirar por encima del hombro, incluso con cierta renuencia, pues vamos a experimentar placeres crueles, hasta que, en algún punto, allá por el capitulo tercero, se cierra la frontera detrás de nosotros... (...) Nada es seguro, una vez traspuesta esta frontera. No es el mundo tal como creíamos conocerlo, pero resulta inquietantemente más real para nosotros que la casa de los vecinos".
De estos relatos, los hay algunos mejores que otros, pero en general son puro Patricia Highsmith, sin juicios morales, el miedo incluso a existir de sus personajes: siempre he tenido la impresión de que los argumentos ideados por Patricia Highsmith son una excusa para indagar en las mentes de sus personajes. A continuación algunas pequeñas reflexiones en torno a los once relatos:
1. "El Observador de Caracoles": Un cuento que me ha recordado algo a Cronenberg, porque la obsesión del protagonista por los caracoles es bastante bizarro y crudo. Graham Greene en el prológo dice que el protagonista se siente con respecto a los caracoles como Patricia en su relaciones con las personas: los observaba detenidamente con frialdad pero no los queria cerca. Un cuento muy voyeur. El final es impactante.
2."Los pájaros a punto de volar": Esta es una historia tipicamente highsmithiana; en apenas unas páginas la Highsmith construye un personaje neurótico, continuamente dándole vueltas a lo mismo y obsesionándos en torno a la misma idea. Pero es que además es fascinantemente real, cualquiera se podrá sentir identificado con la ansiedad de esperar respuesta a una carta (hoy en dia whatsap, correos o llamadas). 5 stars.
3."La tortuga de agua dulce": Otro de esos cuentos ásperos y claustrofóbicos de la Highsmith, en este caso, la rutina diaria desde el punto de vista de un niño con una madre represora e inestable. Es un cuento triste porque no puedes dejar de pensar en la cantidad de niños que debe haber en el mundo con adultos incompetentes ocupándose de ellos. Grandisima Patricia. (5 estrellas)
4."Cuando la escuadra llegó a Mobile": Otro de esos cuentos impactantes, aunque la verdad que para esta autora hay un elemento de terror en el día a día, como en este cuento. Una mujer huye de su marido y durante su huida, recuerda su vida antes de que él llegara y después. El terror. Y hay un momento en que reflexiona: "¿Cuánto tiempo hace que no eras realmente tu misma?". (5 estrellas)
5."En busca de Tal o cual Claveringi": No me ha gustado demasiado. De nuevo aquí un tema que obesionaba a la Highsmith: los caracoles. En este caso caracoles gigantes. (2 estrellas)
6. "Gritos de amor": dos personas que viven juntas no se soportan y sus pequeños gestos de venganza y de resentimiento la una con la otra son de una crueldad que las desgasta emocionalmente. Asi y todo se necesitan porque si no la soledad las consumiria: prefieren odiarse y estar juntas que estar solas. Conozco a mucha gente que vive así. (3 estrellas)
7. "Señora Afton, entre tus verdes laderas": Me ha gustado mucho este cuento no tanto por ese giro sorprendente hacia el final sino por el retrato del personaje de la señora Afton. Otro cuento sobre la soledad. (4 estrellas)
8. "La Heroína": Lucille entra a trabajar como la niñera de los dos niños de los Christensen y pronto a medida que este cuento avanza nos vamos dando cuenta de que Lucille es otro de esos personajes protípicos de Patricia Highsmith: obsesiva, ambigua en sus relaciones con las pocas personas con las que trata. Me fascina la Highsmith cuando crea este tipo de personajes tan suyos. (4 estrellas)
9. "Otro puente por cruzar": Merrick ha perdido a su mujer e hijo en un accidente y decide viajar a Italia en un intento de tomarse su tiempo para su duelo. Viaja, pasea, y parece que nada le afecte ya a estas alturas solo los pequeños y rutinarios detalles del día a día. (3 estrellas)
10. "Los bárbaros": Un relato adelantado a su tiempo, o mejor dicho, un relato muy actual porque de lo que trata es de la violencia en las grandes ciudades: jóvenes que parecen aburridos en espera de la menor excusa para lanzarse a combatir el aburrimiento mediante la violencia. (3 estrellas)
11. "La pajarera vacia": Es otro de esos cuentos angustiantes. Bajo la excusa de un extraño y misterioso animal que aparece en casa de un matrimonio, parece que salen a relucir las carencias sobre todo de ella, Edith, una mujer insatisfecha y extraña. Un cuento típico de highsmithiano. (5 estrellas)
"Pero Edith apretó los dientes para reprimir un alarido".
March 19, 2021
This was Patricia Highsmith's first collection of short stories, and each tale seems to focus on her specialty, which was that of obsession and compulsion. Much like her second collection,
Little Tales of Misogyny
, in which every story in some way focuses on attributes or archetypes of femininity that society teaches us to disdain, each of the eleven stories in Eleven explores bizarre urges and dark corners of the human mind you'd much rather look away from. While nowhere near as memorable as her novels, these still provide small glimpses of the strangeness this brilliant but unlikable woman was fascinated by, and some will certainly unsettle. Graham Greene describes Highsmith's forte better than I ever could in his excellent introduction:
What struck me most about this collection is that despite her usually trading in psychological crime, and these stories being miniature psychological thrillers in their own right, quite a few of them were firmly rooted somewhere in a hard to define horror genre—her prose is carefully planned, no word is wasted or misplaced, and the result are stories of such a disturbing intensity that they engulf the reader to the point that they feel claustrophobic, despite the often very mundane subject matter.
The Snail-Watcher · ★★★½
Highsmith kept something like 300 snails as pets, and this autobiographical element might in part be responsible for making this one, while perhaps not the best, certainly the most memorable of all the stories included. A broker watches the increasing number of snails he keeps at home with a curiosity that comes to border on voyeurism and turns into a fixation. I read it with mounting horror while feeling the deepest levels of physical revulsion; I can't recall any other short story that managed to disgust me to such an extent with so little, and I'm not at all surprised that it took her over a decade to find someone willing to publish it.
The Birds Poised to Fly · ★★★★
Inspired by Highsmith's own holiday affair with a female British doctor who then never replied to her letters, it's the story of a man who reacts to being disappointed in love with a cruel deception. One of the stand-outs for me.
The Terrapin · ★★★★
The most brutal of the stories included, it's about a child standing up to his overbearing and belittling mother when she brings home a turtle he mistakes as an unexpected present of a pet, but which is actually meant to be cooked for dinner. Violent and irrational, the ending to this one was superbly chilling.
When the Fleet Was in at Mobile · ★★★★½
Graham Greene singles this one out as his favorite in the introduction, and I'm inclined to agree. A woman chloroforms her tyrannical and alcoholic husband, leaving him for dead, and makes a break for freedom... but as we should by now know, there are rarely happy endings in Highsmith's mind.
The Quest For Blank Claveringi · ★★½
Easily the most bizarre of the bunch, it's about a man who travels to a remote island with the dream of discovering a new species of snails to name after himself. It's another story where the protagonist is menaced by shelled gastropods; in this case, giant man-eating ones.
The Cries Of Love · ★★★
Another odd, but ultimately rather forgettable one. Two elderly women who desperately fear dying alone and can't bear being apart take delight in destroying the other's most prized possessions.
Mrs. Afton, Among Thy Green Braes · ★★
If I had to pick, this one would be my least favorite, not because it's bad, but rather because it completely failed to make an impression one way or the other—I had to check my book to even remember what it was about. A well-mannered, middle-aged lady consults a psychiatrist on behalf of her husband.
The Heroine · ★★★★½
My other favorite in the collection was actually the story against which Highsmith measured all of her writing in the 1940s—she was so pleased with it that she eventually came to see it as a curse, as she felt that it overshadowed her output for a whole decade. A young and eager nanny loves her new family and the children in her care so much that she wants nothing more than a chance to prove her devotion...
Another Bridge to Cross · ★★★
Yet another instance where I had to check the book to remember what this one was about. I enjoyed it while reading it, but it clearly wasn't very memorable: An American man is adrift in Europe following the loss of his wife and son.
The Barbarians · ★★★½
I can imagine this being one of the overlooked ones, but it was one of the tales that made me the most anxious, perhaps because its mundanity made it all the more relatable. It explores what's essentially bullying, and the strain that a constant threat of violence puts on someone.
The Empty Birdhouse · ★★★
In a story that was a bit of a suburban nightmare come true, featuring a slight touch of the supernatural, an unknown, evil-looking animal spotted first in their empty birdhouse reminds a couple old their repressed guilt.
"Miss Highsmith is the poet of apprehension rather than fear. Fear after a time, as we all learned in the blitz, is narcotic, it can lull one by fatigue into sleep, but apprehension nags at the nerves gently and inescapably. We have to learn to live with it."
What struck me most about this collection is that despite her usually trading in psychological crime, and these stories being miniature psychological thrillers in their own right, quite a few of them were firmly rooted somewhere in a hard to define horror genre—her prose is carefully planned, no word is wasted or misplaced, and the result are stories of such a disturbing intensity that they engulf the reader to the point that they feel claustrophobic, despite the often very mundane subject matter.
The Snail-Watcher · ★★★½
Highsmith kept something like 300 snails as pets, and this autobiographical element might in part be responsible for making this one, while perhaps not the best, certainly the most memorable of all the stories included. A broker watches the increasing number of snails he keeps at home with a curiosity that comes to border on voyeurism and turns into a fixation. I read it with mounting horror while feeling the deepest levels of physical revulsion; I can't recall any other short story that managed to disgust me to such an extent with so little, and I'm not at all surprised that it took her over a decade to find someone willing to publish it.
The Birds Poised to Fly · ★★★★
Inspired by Highsmith's own holiday affair with a female British doctor who then never replied to her letters, it's the story of a man who reacts to being disappointed in love with a cruel deception. One of the stand-outs for me.
The Terrapin · ★★★★
The most brutal of the stories included, it's about a child standing up to his overbearing and belittling mother when she brings home a turtle he mistakes as an unexpected present of a pet, but which is actually meant to be cooked for dinner. Violent and irrational, the ending to this one was superbly chilling.
When the Fleet Was in at Mobile · ★★★★½
Graham Greene singles this one out as his favorite in the introduction, and I'm inclined to agree. A woman chloroforms her tyrannical and alcoholic husband, leaving him for dead, and makes a break for freedom... but as we should by now know, there are rarely happy endings in Highsmith's mind.
The Quest For Blank Claveringi · ★★½
Easily the most bizarre of the bunch, it's about a man who travels to a remote island with the dream of discovering a new species of snails to name after himself. It's another story where the protagonist is menaced by shelled gastropods; in this case, giant man-eating ones.
The Cries Of Love · ★★★
Another odd, but ultimately rather forgettable one. Two elderly women who desperately fear dying alone and can't bear being apart take delight in destroying the other's most prized possessions.
Mrs. Afton, Among Thy Green Braes · ★★
If I had to pick, this one would be my least favorite, not because it's bad, but rather because it completely failed to make an impression one way or the other—I had to check my book to even remember what it was about. A well-mannered, middle-aged lady consults a psychiatrist on behalf of her husband.
The Heroine · ★★★★½
My other favorite in the collection was actually the story against which Highsmith measured all of her writing in the 1940s—she was so pleased with it that she eventually came to see it as a curse, as she felt that it overshadowed her output for a whole decade. A young and eager nanny loves her new family and the children in her care so much that she wants nothing more than a chance to prove her devotion...
Another Bridge to Cross · ★★★
Yet another instance where I had to check the book to remember what this one was about. I enjoyed it while reading it, but it clearly wasn't very memorable: An American man is adrift in Europe following the loss of his wife and son.
The Barbarians · ★★★½
I can imagine this being one of the overlooked ones, but it was one of the tales that made me the most anxious, perhaps because its mundanity made it all the more relatable. It explores what's essentially bullying, and the strain that a constant threat of violence puts on someone.
The Empty Birdhouse · ★★★
In a story that was a bit of a suburban nightmare come true, featuring a slight touch of the supernatural, an unknown, evil-looking animal spotted first in their empty birdhouse reminds a couple old their repressed guilt.
April 14, 2020
Patricia Highsmith is an author that has been on my roster of authors to try for years. I have finally begun the journey and I am so glad. This book contains 11 short stories that kept me on the edge of my seat.
My favorite are as follows,
The very first story The Snail Watcher-has changed the way I will look at snails. It is about a man who is fascinated by snails to the point they completely take over his study and he suffers the consequences of his obsession.
The next story Terrapin- is about a young boy who lives his mother. She brings home a turtle-like animal called a Terrapin to make into a stew. Her son plays with the animal and then watches in horror as she drops it in boiling water. The ending I won't give away but it was wonderfully shocking.
Another story The Quest For Blank Claveringi- is another tale involving snails, seriously I think I am getting a phobia about snails. These snails are huge and a scientist discovers them on an island. He finds himself in a battle for survival. I knew how it would end but I could not look away.
The Heroine- comes next, this one is about a young woman who becomes a governess to try and escape her past. We find out that her mother was in a hospital for mental illness and she is terrified it is hereditary. This one surprised me at how it turned out but it was a wonderful surprise.
These are my favorites but every story is incredibly enjoyable.
I am a fan of this writer after one book and I am looking forward to reading all her great works.
My favorite are as follows,
The very first story The Snail Watcher-has changed the way I will look at snails. It is about a man who is fascinated by snails to the point they completely take over his study and he suffers the consequences of his obsession.
The next story Terrapin- is about a young boy who lives his mother. She brings home a turtle-like animal called a Terrapin to make into a stew. Her son plays with the animal and then watches in horror as she drops it in boiling water. The ending I won't give away but it was wonderfully shocking.
Another story The Quest For Blank Claveringi- is another tale involving snails, seriously I think I am getting a phobia about snails. These snails are huge and a scientist discovers them on an island. He finds himself in a battle for survival. I knew how it would end but I could not look away.
The Heroine- comes next, this one is about a young woman who becomes a governess to try and escape her past. We find out that her mother was in a hospital for mental illness and she is terrified it is hereditary. This one surprised me at how it turned out but it was a wonderful surprise.
These are my favorites but every story is incredibly enjoyable.
I am a fan of this writer after one book and I am looking forward to reading all her great works.
August 28, 2024
After loving the Netflix / Andrew Scott RIPLEY adaptation, I sought out a Patricia Highsmith book to read more of her work. This short story collection was a marvelous survey, eleven eerie and sinister tales.
Each story intrigued, and my favorites of the lot were "The Heroine", "The Snail-Watcher", "The Terrapin", and "The Birds Poised to Fly".
Bonus: Great intro by Graham Greene in this edition too!
Each story intrigued, and my favorites of the lot were "The Heroine", "The Snail-Watcher", "The Terrapin", and "The Birds Poised to Fly".
Bonus: Great intro by Graham Greene in this edition too!
August 15, 2024
Como indica el título del libro, se trata de una recopilación de once relatos de la estadounidense Patricia Highsmith, conocida sobre todo por la adaptación al cine por parte de Alfred Hitchcock de ‘Extraños en un tren’, así como por las novelas de Tom Ripley, ese “simpático” asesino. ‘Once’ me apeteció leerlo tras ver la película ‘Perfect Days’, de Wim Wenders, libro que el protagonista tiene entre sus lecturas. Y es curioso, porque Wenders ya dirigió ‘El amigo americano’, tercera de las novelas de Ripley.
Se trata de relatos de terror psicológico, crueles y pesimistas, en los que la autora era una consumada experta. Justamente los dos cuentos más fantásticos, que tienen que ver con caracoles (!), son los más flojos. Como pasaba con las historias de Ripley, la escritora logra hacer que el lector empatice con el asesino o con los actos de los protagonistas, por muy deleznables que sean. Estás deseando que se salgan con la suya (no en todos los cuentos, claro), y esto no es fácil de lograr. Muchos critican los finales abruptos de los cuentos de Patricia Highsmith, pero a mí me han convencido, no necesito que me lo den todo masticado, está bien dejar algo a la imaginación del lector.
El observador de caracoles (1964) (***). Un buen día, el protagonista descubre el placer de la cría de caracoles. El final del pobre idiota se ve venir, y casi aplaudes.
Los pájaros a punto de emprender el vuelo (1969) (*****). El protagonista le pidió matrimonio por carta a una chica, que se encuentra fuera del país por trabajo, y espera impaciente su respuesta. Pasan los días y ésta no llega, así que se le ocurre que tal vez el cartero se equivocó de buzón y la carta deseada esté en el de su vecino. Cuando lo revisa, comprobando que no hay nada para él, se lleva una de sus cartas, descubriendo que la novia de su vecino se encuentra en la misma situación. Gran relato. Aquí te enganchas definitivamente a la narrativa de Highsmith.
La tortuga de agua dulce (1962) (*****). Un chico vive oprimido por su abusiva madre, pero todo cambiará para él cuando ésta traiga a casa una tortuga para cocinarla. Inquietante relato.
Cuando la escuadra llegó a Mobile (1970) (*****). Nada más comenzar el relato, la joven protagonista tiene un paño con cloroformo en sus manos para asesinar a su marido. Tras esto, escapa, y vamos conociendo más de su triste pasado. Magnífico cuento.
En busca del “Tal o cual Claveringi” (1970) (***). Un investigador decide averiguar por su cuenta si es verdad que existen los famosos caracoles asesinos (esto es casi un oxímoron) de cierta isla, que pueden llegar a medir más de cinco metros. Otro final predecible, pero no por ello disfrutable por la estupidez del protagonista.
Gritos de amor (1970) (***). Dos ancianas llevan viviendo juntas en una residencia desde hace años, y una de ellas le hace contínuas trastadas a la otra. Así que busca su particular venganza.
Señora Afton, entre tus verdes laderas (1962) (***). Una mujer acude a un psiquiatra para pedir consejo para su marido, que no quiere ir en persona. Pero las cosas no son lo que parecen.
La heroína (1945) (****). La joven protagonista es contratada como niñera de dos niños. Su obsesión por este trabajo será desastroso.
Otro puente por cruzar (1964) (*****). Un hombre maduro, de viaje por Europa, asiste al suicidio de un hombre que se lanza desde un puente a la carretera. Pero el viaje sigue, y sabremos que perdió a su mujer e hijo en un accidente. Gran relato, en el que parece que no sucede nada, pero sólo lo parece.
Los bárbaros (1968) (****). Unos tipos vienen siempre a incordiar los domingos con su béisbol. Pese a las protestas de los vecinos, por el barullo que arman abajo, ellos se ríen de todos. Hasta que al protagonista se le calienta la sangre un día.
La pajarera vacía (1969) (****). Una mujer ve una extraña cara en su pajarera vacía, y el bicho o lo que sea, sale rápidamente hacia la casa. Su marido piensa que son imaginaciones suyas, hasta que también ve a la extraña criatura. No sabiendo qué hacer, piden prestado un gato que acabe con la ardilla, hurón o lo que sea. Inquietante.
Se trata de relatos de terror psicológico, crueles y pesimistas, en los que la autora era una consumada experta. Justamente los dos cuentos más fantásticos, que tienen que ver con caracoles (!), son los más flojos. Como pasaba con las historias de Ripley, la escritora logra hacer que el lector empatice con el asesino o con los actos de los protagonistas, por muy deleznables que sean. Estás deseando que se salgan con la suya (no en todos los cuentos, claro), y esto no es fácil de lograr. Muchos critican los finales abruptos de los cuentos de Patricia Highsmith, pero a mí me han convencido, no necesito que me lo den todo masticado, está bien dejar algo a la imaginación del lector.
El observador de caracoles (1964) (***). Un buen día, el protagonista descubre el placer de la cría de caracoles. El final del pobre idiota se ve venir, y casi aplaudes.
Los pájaros a punto de emprender el vuelo (1969) (*****). El protagonista le pidió matrimonio por carta a una chica, que se encuentra fuera del país por trabajo, y espera impaciente su respuesta. Pasan los días y ésta no llega, así que se le ocurre que tal vez el cartero se equivocó de buzón y la carta deseada esté en el de su vecino. Cuando lo revisa, comprobando que no hay nada para él, se lleva una de sus cartas, descubriendo que la novia de su vecino se encuentra en la misma situación. Gran relato. Aquí te enganchas definitivamente a la narrativa de Highsmith.
La tortuga de agua dulce (1962) (*****). Un chico vive oprimido por su abusiva madre, pero todo cambiará para él cuando ésta traiga a casa una tortuga para cocinarla. Inquietante relato.
Cuando la escuadra llegó a Mobile (1970) (*****). Nada más comenzar el relato, la joven protagonista tiene un paño con cloroformo en sus manos para asesinar a su marido. Tras esto, escapa, y vamos conociendo más de su triste pasado. Magnífico cuento.
En busca del “Tal o cual Claveringi” (1970) (***). Un investigador decide averiguar por su cuenta si es verdad que existen los famosos caracoles asesinos (esto es casi un oxímoron) de cierta isla, que pueden llegar a medir más de cinco metros. Otro final predecible, pero no por ello disfrutable por la estupidez del protagonista.
Gritos de amor (1970) (***). Dos ancianas llevan viviendo juntas en una residencia desde hace años, y una de ellas le hace contínuas trastadas a la otra. Así que busca su particular venganza.
Señora Afton, entre tus verdes laderas (1962) (***). Una mujer acude a un psiquiatra para pedir consejo para su marido, que no quiere ir en persona. Pero las cosas no son lo que parecen.
La heroína (1945) (****). La joven protagonista es contratada como niñera de dos niños. Su obsesión por este trabajo será desastroso.
Otro puente por cruzar (1964) (*****). Un hombre maduro, de viaje por Europa, asiste al suicidio de un hombre que se lanza desde un puente a la carretera. Pero el viaje sigue, y sabremos que perdió a su mujer e hijo en un accidente. Gran relato, en el que parece que no sucede nada, pero sólo lo parece.
Los bárbaros (1968) (****). Unos tipos vienen siempre a incordiar los domingos con su béisbol. Pese a las protestas de los vecinos, por el barullo que arman abajo, ellos se ríen de todos. Hasta que al protagonista se le calienta la sangre un día.
La pajarera vacía (1969) (****). Una mujer ve una extraña cara en su pajarera vacía, y el bicho o lo que sea, sale rápidamente hacia la casa. Su marido piensa que son imaginaciones suyas, hasta que también ve a la extraña criatura. No sabiendo qué hacer, piden prestado un gato que acabe con la ardilla, hurón o lo que sea. Inquietante.
January 11, 2025
Patricia Highsmith es experta en desasosegar con sus tramas retorcidas y sus personajes ambiguos, cuando no abiertamente perversos. Esta selección de cuentos es una excelente galería de atrocidades, algunas esperables para el conocedor del universo particular de esta autora, otras inusuales incluso para autores poco convencionales. Y es que, salvo por Junji Ito, nadie había intentado asustarme con caracoles. Sí, caracoles, esos humildes gasterópodos terrestres, reptantes, babosos, que ni alcanzando el tamaño de un gato doméstico amedrentarían a un adulto bien plantado. Ese relato en cuestión, que luego resumiré como acostumbro en estas reseñas, me gusta por esa atípica combinación de simbolismo vedado y abierta imbecilidad pulp, porque cuando pienso en un caracol homicida, implacable e incansable en su avance, me viene a la mente las ilustraciones medievales protagonizadas por caracoles armados a semejanza de caballeros en una justa, con lanza y escudo, motivo más recurrente de lo que uno esperaría y cuyo significado a día de hoy sigue siendo un misterio, pero que bien podría representar a la muerte, que se aproxima lenta pero inexorable.
Los amanuenses medievales, señoras y señores, genios de la comedia involuntaria.
Los relatos incluidos en esta antología son los siguientes:
El observador de caracoles (***): un hombre desarrolla una intensa fascinación por los caracoles, a los que comienza a criar para poder observarlos con atención de naturalista. Los continuados exámenes a sus humildes invertebrados van mejorando su vida laboral. Los caracoles, mientras tanto, se multiplican en sus terrarios...
Los pájaros a punto de emprender el vuelo (****): un joven enamorado espera ansioso la respuesta a una carta de amor que parece no llegar. Desesperado por el silencio, asume que su misiva no ha sido olvidada o ignorada, sino que el cartero ha debido equivocarse al entregarla y ahora está en el buzón de su vecino, buzón al que tiene que acceder, por supuesto. Al forzarlo, descubre en su interior una carta de una joven en su misma situación: enamorada hasta las trancas de su vecino e ignorada por éste. Y no diré más, porque este cuento te quedas prendado de la Highsmith.
La tortuga de agua dulce (***): un niño taciturno, dominado por su excéntrica madre, encuentra una salida a su horrible existencia en la forma de una tortuga que, para su desgracia, es el ingrediente principal del guiso que su madre tiene planeado. Este cuento recuerda ligeramente a Sredni Vashtar, aunque sin el siniestro sentido del humor de Saki.
Cuando la escuadra llegó a Mobile (****): una mujer droga a su marido con cloroformo y se fuga de casa. Ya en el autobús que le conducirá a una nueva vida, lejos de su marido, se nos irá relatando su historia. Un relato desolador, y probablemente de los que trata de manera más descorazonadora la violencia de género.
En busca de tal o cual Claveringi (****): Clavering es un naturalista con un propósito: poner su nombre a una nueva especie. El folklore de un archipiélago le pone en la pista de una especie desconocida de caracol que ha alcanzado un tamaño descomunal por el aislamiento insular. Las historias dicen que el animal fue exterminado por los indígenas, aterrorizados por su voraz apetito por la carne humana, pero testimonios más recientes aseguran que los caracoles siguen habitando la isla. Y allí que va Clavering, dispuesto a documentar su existencia. Ya os imaginaréis lo que va a pasar.
Gritos de amor (***): dos ancianas, habitantes de la misma residencia, sobreviven realizándose bromas pesadas y trastadas cada vez más salvajes. Este cuento es un ejemplo perfecto de final abierto bien ejecutado.
Señora Afton, entre sus verdes laderas (***): un psicólogo se enfrenta a un caso excepcional: diagnosticar y tratar a un paciente que se niega a acudir a su gabinete. De este modo, el psicólogo solo puede acceder al paciente mediante las citas que mantiene con su mujer. Conforme va profundizando en el caso irá descubriendo que hay algo oculto en este singular caso.
La heroína (***): la protagonista es contratada como institutriz y niñera de una familia rica. Su necesidad de demostrar hasta qué punto es abnegado su compromiso pondrá a la familia en una situación complicada.
Otro puente por cruzar (***): en su viaje por Italia, el protagonista presencia cómo un hombre se arroja por un puente. Este trágico suceso, a priori ajeno al personaje, será el punto de partida para conocer los motivos por los que ha viajado a Europa.
Los bárbaros (****): un grupo de hombres se cita para jugar al beisbol cada sábado frente a la fachada de un edificio, incomodando a todo el vecindario con sus gritos, carreras y golpes. El protagonista, harto de los ruidos y del comportamiento abiertamente hostil de los jugadores, se dejará llevar por un impulso repentino que puede salirle muy caro. Si vivís en un vecindario como el mío y con un aislamiento tan lamentable empatizaréis, y mucho, con este relato que, estoy seguro, leyó Jon Bilbao.
La pajarera vacía (***): una mujer descubre viviendo en la casita para pájaros de su jardín a una alimaña, una cuyas características no se ajusta por completo a las propias de una ardilla o una rata campestre. Pronto, el animal se aparecerá en la casa, y los avistamientos constantes obligarán al marido a hacerse con un gato para darle caza.
Los amanuenses medievales, señoras y señores, genios de la comedia involuntaria.
Los relatos incluidos en esta antología son los siguientes:
El observador de caracoles (***): un hombre desarrolla una intensa fascinación por los caracoles, a los que comienza a criar para poder observarlos con atención de naturalista. Los continuados exámenes a sus humildes invertebrados van mejorando su vida laboral. Los caracoles, mientras tanto, se multiplican en sus terrarios...
Los pájaros a punto de emprender el vuelo (****): un joven enamorado espera ansioso la respuesta a una carta de amor que parece no llegar. Desesperado por el silencio, asume que su misiva no ha sido olvidada o ignorada, sino que el cartero ha debido equivocarse al entregarla y ahora está en el buzón de su vecino, buzón al que tiene que acceder, por supuesto. Al forzarlo, descubre en su interior una carta de una joven en su misma situación: enamorada hasta las trancas de su vecino e ignorada por éste. Y no diré más, porque este cuento te quedas prendado de la Highsmith.
La tortuga de agua dulce (***): un niño taciturno, dominado por su excéntrica madre, encuentra una salida a su horrible existencia en la forma de una tortuga que, para su desgracia, es el ingrediente principal del guiso que su madre tiene planeado. Este cuento recuerda ligeramente a Sredni Vashtar, aunque sin el siniestro sentido del humor de Saki.
Cuando la escuadra llegó a Mobile (****): una mujer droga a su marido con cloroformo y se fuga de casa. Ya en el autobús que le conducirá a una nueva vida, lejos de su marido, se nos irá relatando su historia. Un relato desolador, y probablemente de los que trata de manera más descorazonadora la violencia de género.
En busca de tal o cual Claveringi (****): Clavering es un naturalista con un propósito: poner su nombre a una nueva especie. El folklore de un archipiélago le pone en la pista de una especie desconocida de caracol que ha alcanzado un tamaño descomunal por el aislamiento insular. Las historias dicen que el animal fue exterminado por los indígenas, aterrorizados por su voraz apetito por la carne humana, pero testimonios más recientes aseguran que los caracoles siguen habitando la isla. Y allí que va Clavering, dispuesto a documentar su existencia. Ya os imaginaréis lo que va a pasar.
Gritos de amor (***): dos ancianas, habitantes de la misma residencia, sobreviven realizándose bromas pesadas y trastadas cada vez más salvajes. Este cuento es un ejemplo perfecto de final abierto bien ejecutado.
Señora Afton, entre sus verdes laderas (***): un psicólogo se enfrenta a un caso excepcional: diagnosticar y tratar a un paciente que se niega a acudir a su gabinete. De este modo, el psicólogo solo puede acceder al paciente mediante las citas que mantiene con su mujer. Conforme va profundizando en el caso irá descubriendo que hay algo oculto en este singular caso.
La heroína (***): la protagonista es contratada como institutriz y niñera de una familia rica. Su necesidad de demostrar hasta qué punto es abnegado su compromiso pondrá a la familia en una situación complicada.
Otro puente por cruzar (***): en su viaje por Italia, el protagonista presencia cómo un hombre se arroja por un puente. Este trágico suceso, a priori ajeno al personaje, será el punto de partida para conocer los motivos por los que ha viajado a Europa.
Los bárbaros (****): un grupo de hombres se cita para jugar al beisbol cada sábado frente a la fachada de un edificio, incomodando a todo el vecindario con sus gritos, carreras y golpes. El protagonista, harto de los ruidos y del comportamiento abiertamente hostil de los jugadores, se dejará llevar por un impulso repentino que puede salirle muy caro. Si vivís en un vecindario como el mío y con un aislamiento tan lamentable empatizaréis, y mucho, con este relato que, estoy seguro, leyó Jon Bilbao.
La pajarera vacía (***): una mujer descubre viviendo en la casita para pájaros de su jardín a una alimaña, una cuyas características no se ajusta por completo a las propias de una ardilla o una rata campestre. Pronto, el animal se aparecerá en la casa, y los avistamientos constantes obligarán al marido a hacerse con un gato para darle caza.
December 25, 2025
4.5
2025, the year of the snail in my reading diet? In a trail I followed from Endling through The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating to this disturbing collection, I feel well versed in the habits of these fellow slow travellers.
I had not realised just how fascinated Patricia Highsmith was with snails:
keeping hundreds as pets, allegedly smuggling them across borders in her bra and carrying them in her handbag to parties for comfort and as conversation starters .
This short story collection contains two stories that could not have been written by anyone without an intimate understanding of the behaviour and biology of Gastropodia. "The Snail Watcher" and "The Quest for Blank Claveringi" are both snail horror stories or maybe snail revenge tales, depending on your point of view.
I came for the snails, but the remaining nine stories in this are almost all excellent, exploring the dark recesses of the human mind; the best are claustrophobic and mired in mounting dread, “The Terrapin” and “ When the Fleet was in at Mobile” in particular.
Reading this collection has encouraged me to move on from snails and more fully explore the work of Patricia Highsmith.
2025, the year of the snail in my reading diet? In a trail I followed from Endling through The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating to this disturbing collection, I feel well versed in the habits of these fellow slow travellers.
I had not realised just how fascinated Patricia Highsmith was with snails:
keeping hundreds as pets, allegedly smuggling them across borders in her bra and carrying them in her handbag to parties for comfort and as conversation starters .
This short story collection contains two stories that could not have been written by anyone without an intimate understanding of the behaviour and biology of Gastropodia. "The Snail Watcher" and "The Quest for Blank Claveringi" are both snail horror stories or maybe snail revenge tales, depending on your point of view.
I came for the snails, but the remaining nine stories in this are almost all excellent, exploring the dark recesses of the human mind; the best are claustrophobic and mired in mounting dread, “The Terrapin” and “ When the Fleet was in at Mobile” in particular.
Reading this collection has encouraged me to move on from snails and more fully explore the work of Patricia Highsmith.
July 15, 2019
"Eleven" is a collection of short stories written by one of the most iconic female authors of the crime fiction genre, the American Patricia Highsmith. The anthology is prologued by another top crime writer, Graham Greene , who juxtaposes the Highsmithian universe with that of the classics, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. He writes: "This is a world without moral endings. It has nothing in common with the heroic world of her peers, Hammett and Chandler, and her detectives (...) have nothing in common with the romantic and disillusioned private eyes who will always, we know, triumph over evil and see that justice is done". This is an accurate description of Highsmith's literary world and characters and this is the most appropriate context to have in mind when reading those dark, often borderline disturbing, short stories. I enjoyed most "The Snail-Watcher", "The Terrapin", and "The Heroine". If you are a Highsmith fan this is a must for you.
July 23, 2010
so patricia highsmith and i have a very complicated relationship. for a long time, i kept mixing her up with patricia cornwell, who is the kind of run-of-the-mill contemporary mystery writer you find a lot in supermarkets and places like that. but THEN i also kept mixing up patricia cornwell with the various trashy romance writers who stock those same supermarket aisles. SO for the life of me i could not understand why people were making such a big fuss over some trashy romance author. THEN i found out that highsmith was the one who wrote strangers on a train. BUT then i kept mixing up strangers on a train with snakes on a plane and thus found it impossible to take her seriously. (what can i say? my brain is very susceptible to rhyme.)
THEN i found out that highsmith was actually this crazy person who wrote all these crazy thrillers, including the talented mr. ripley, but since i only knew about the talented mr. ripley through movie trailers (where matt damon goes around killing people, but in what seemed like a not so interesting way), this new revelation did not really make me want to read anything by her. BUT THEN. THEEEEN i found out that she was a contemporary of truman capote and a kind of twisted successor to raymond chandler and dashiell hammett et al., and suddenly my interest in her shot up. AND THEN!! then i realized that i had actually read a short story of hers ages ago ("the terrapin") that had both horrified and fascinated me - but so much so that i must have blocked out the memory from the sheer trauma.
that is when i decided that i needed to read more things by this woman, like, right now. so i chose this book, mostly because the library copy of strangers on a train has gone missing and because this volume has got "the terrapin" in it. what can i say about this book? i can say, first of all, that highsmith reminds me a lot of joyce carol oates, but a crueler and more gleefully ruthless version, if you can believe it.
NOW I MUST MAKE ANOTHER LONG DIGRESSION. every now and then i have a recurring dream, usually when i'm stressed out about something, where i'm driving a car that doesn't move as i want it to. just think mario kart and the desert world: i try to turn left and the car swerves in horrible long arcs, i try to slow down but the brakes don't quite work, i try to speed up but the car gets stuck in sand. i know where i'm going, and i know i will get there - but not without causing a lot of damage first, and on a path not entirely under my control. reading patricia highsmith was a lot like being in that dream. following her broken characters make wrong decision after wrong decision is like bracing yourself inside a moving vehicle that has somehow gotten away from your control, something that is heading inexorably to a familiar and awful end. you can't stop it, and you can't escape it; the only thing you can do is sit back and relish that mounting sense of dread and apprehension. for some people, that's enough. i haven't yet decided if it is for me.
THEN i found out that highsmith was actually this crazy person who wrote all these crazy thrillers, including the talented mr. ripley, but since i only knew about the talented mr. ripley through movie trailers (where matt damon goes around killing people, but in what seemed like a not so interesting way), this new revelation did not really make me want to read anything by her. BUT THEN. THEEEEN i found out that she was a contemporary of truman capote and a kind of twisted successor to raymond chandler and dashiell hammett et al., and suddenly my interest in her shot up. AND THEN!! then i realized that i had actually read a short story of hers ages ago ("the terrapin") that had both horrified and fascinated me - but so much so that i must have blocked out the memory from the sheer trauma.
that is when i decided that i needed to read more things by this woman, like, right now. so i chose this book, mostly because the library copy of strangers on a train has gone missing and because this volume has got "the terrapin" in it. what can i say about this book? i can say, first of all, that highsmith reminds me a lot of joyce carol oates, but a crueler and more gleefully ruthless version, if you can believe it.
NOW I MUST MAKE ANOTHER LONG DIGRESSION. every now and then i have a recurring dream, usually when i'm stressed out about something, where i'm driving a car that doesn't move as i want it to. just think mario kart and the desert world: i try to turn left and the car swerves in horrible long arcs, i try to slow down but the brakes don't quite work, i try to speed up but the car gets stuck in sand. i know where i'm going, and i know i will get there - but not without causing a lot of damage first, and on a path not entirely under my control. reading patricia highsmith was a lot like being in that dream. following her broken characters make wrong decision after wrong decision is like bracing yourself inside a moving vehicle that has somehow gotten away from your control, something that is heading inexorably to a familiar and awful end. you can't stop it, and you can't escape it; the only thing you can do is sit back and relish that mounting sense of dread and apprehension. for some people, that's enough. i haven't yet decided if it is for me.
Read
December 1, 2020can't stress this enough: 2 stories about killer snails here, & they're not even the best stories in the collection! as good as animal-lover's book of beastly murder was, the cumulative effect of that one was a lil bit mechanical -- the conclusion's foregone, you know the jack-in-the-box is gonna go SPROING. here there's some stories that SPROING (e.g. "the terrapin," "the heroine") but also some that stay nastily coiled in anticipation of a future SPROING ("another bridge," "cries of love") & at least one where the absence of a SPROING is its own SPROING ("the barbarians"). come for the gastropods, stay for the different flavors of suspense
November 16, 2020
This is a wonderful collection of eleven stories, hence the title. It is difficult to categorize Highsmith, but I'll borrow a phrase from her Wikipedia biography that she "questioned notions of identity and popular morality." There were a couple of stories that I found just plain odd, but I definitely had favorites which were right in line with that wiki quote.
"Mrs. Afton, among they Green Braes" featured a woman who consulted a psychiatrist. She didn't have a problem herself, but her husband had recently taken to intense exercise and what should she do about it. Dr. Feliz Bauer tried to convince her that he couldn't treat her husband unless her husband came to Dr. Bauer himself. The ending was not foreseeable.
"The Heroine" featured a young woman who applied for a job as governess and was hired on the spot without references. It soon became apparent that something was not quite right. This was not the darkest story of the bunch, but came close.
"The Empty Birdhouse" began with a woman seeing a furry creature with large eyes in a birdhouse which had been used by bluetits during their breeding season. It looked larger than a squirrel. Seeing it a second time, she told her husband who thought she must just be making it up. Then he saw it too. By the end - and I think this isn't a spoiler - I wasn't certain whether they actually saw the creature or whether they were both crazy.
And that is just the sort of thing Highsmith does for you. How much realism and how much otherness is there in her stories? Is it all unreliable narrators or do these sorts of quirky things happen? Which characters are a few degrees off center and which live in a world that is just plain peculiar? For this collection, there are two or three stories I'd throw out to make it 5 stars. But then those might be the ones others like best.
"Mrs. Afton, among they Green Braes" featured a woman who consulted a psychiatrist. She didn't have a problem herself, but her husband had recently taken to intense exercise and what should she do about it. Dr. Feliz Bauer tried to convince her that he couldn't treat her husband unless her husband came to Dr. Bauer himself. The ending was not foreseeable.
"The Heroine" featured a young woman who applied for a job as governess and was hired on the spot without references. It soon became apparent that something was not quite right. This was not the darkest story of the bunch, but came close.
"The Empty Birdhouse" began with a woman seeing a furry creature with large eyes in a birdhouse which had been used by bluetits during their breeding season. It looked larger than a squirrel. Seeing it a second time, she told her husband who thought she must just be making it up. Then he saw it too. By the end - and I think this isn't a spoiler - I wasn't certain whether they actually saw the creature or whether they were both crazy.
And that is just the sort of thing Highsmith does for you. How much realism and how much otherness is there in her stories? Is it all unreliable narrators or do these sorts of quirky things happen? Which characters are a few degrees off center and which live in a world that is just plain peculiar? For this collection, there are two or three stories I'd throw out to make it 5 stars. But then those might be the ones others like best.
May 7, 2012
I was won over as I read the Foreword by Graham Greene:
Her characters are irrational, and they leap to life in their very lack of reason; suddenly we realize how unbelievable rational most fictional characters are as they lead their lives from A to Z, like commuters always taking the same train. The motives of these characters are never inexplicable because they are so drearily obvious. The characters are as flat as a mathematical symbol. We accepted them as real once, but when we look back at them from Miss Highsmith’s side of the frontier, we realize that our world was not really rational as all that. Suddenly with a sense of fear we think, ‘Perhaps I really belong here,’ and going out into the familiar street we pass with a shiver of apprehension the offices of the American Express, the centre, for so many of Miss Highsmith’s dubious men, of their rootless European experience, where letters are to be picked up (though the name on the envelope is probably false) and travelers’ cheques are to be cashed (with a forged signature).Eleven short stories comprise Eleven. Each original, some creepy and all unable to be discussed here because it doesn’t take much to reveal spoilers in a story 10 or 15 pages long. She can capture anxiety and suffering better in a few paragraphs than many can do with a novel. But, without wanting to reveal too much, included are two fantastic stories about snails and a warning to moms who make their sons wear short shorts.
October 24, 2013
I want to read everything Patricia Highsmith ever wrote.
I loved these stories. Highsmith has a very twisted view of humanity and I love it.
Her prose is so crisp. I want to roll around in her sentences. There's so much control here. She knows exactly what she's doing every word of every sentence. It's amazing.
I loved these stories. Highsmith has a very twisted view of humanity and I love it.
Her prose is so crisp. I want to roll around in her sentences. There's so much control here. She knows exactly what she's doing every word of every sentence. It's amazing.
July 30, 2024
Különleges író, extrém személyiség, ebben a kötetben érdekes előszó is van.
Ez nem lenne döntő nálam, ha nem olvastam volna már műveiből korábban, volt ami nagyon tetszett, volt ami kevésbé+ jó filmek és egy jó sorozat is készült a könyveiből.
/A tehetséges Mr. Ripley, Ripley/.
Amikor ezeket a novellákat kezdtem, úgy képzeltem hamar elolvasom, nem egészen úgy sikerült-némelyik megrázó, bár ha szeretjük Edgar Allan Poe-t, akkor nem olyan szokatlan. Az első, második írás nem volt vészes nekem-minden hmmmm....részlet ellenére, de ami szíven ütött: A teknősbéka.
Kegyetlen, szenvtelen, különleges novellák.
Mindenesetre abszolút 4 csillag-szubjektív értékelés, ahogy szoktam.
Ez nem lenne döntő nálam, ha nem olvastam volna már műveiből korábban, volt ami nagyon tetszett, volt ami kevésbé+ jó filmek és egy jó sorozat is készült a könyveiből.
/A tehetséges Mr. Ripley, Ripley/.
Amikor ezeket a novellákat kezdtem, úgy képzeltem hamar elolvasom, nem egészen úgy sikerült-némelyik megrázó, bár ha szeretjük Edgar Allan Poe-t, akkor nem olyan szokatlan. Az első, második írás nem volt vészes nekem-minden hmmmm....részlet ellenére, de ami szíven ütött: A teknősbéka.
Kegyetlen, szenvtelen, különleges novellák.
Mindenesetre abszolút 4 csillag-szubjektív értékelés, ahogy szoktam.
November 8, 2017
Fantastic collection. Almost every story left me shocked and impressed, with a lingering sense of dread and closure. Most of these should be counted directly horror stories, to be honest, they hit harder than a great many scary collections, and the terrapin story is just heartbreaking. Two of the stories also involve terrifying snail encounters - and they're both awesome! Dealing with our own personal mental traps, and the effects of casual callousness. Every story cuts just as you're catching your breath, on a knife edge of shocked realisation.
In short, these are seriously impressive and I can't recommend them highly enough.
In short, these are seriously impressive and I can't recommend them highly enough.
November 3, 2009
I love this book. Highsmith reminds me of Shirley Jackson. Same obsession with people who overestimate their capabilities, make bad decisions, and become ensnared in some unspeakable horror. For perhaps obvious reasons, I had to stop reading. But excellent writing. Reading this book also makes me want to finish my Jackson article--another reason, naturally, to stop reading the book.
November 2, 2024
the most surprising and marvelous level of this collection is its relation of ecological consciousness with human insanity, the subversion of nature and its animals as conduits for human enlightenment. Highsmith hints at the absurd logics of flora and fauna, a logic that human beings cannot fully grasp unless we lose ourselves first by way of losing our minds, a logic that is immediately important, superior to, and more interesting than the human experience.
She’s also just so good at weaving suspense.
I will never look at snails the same way again.
She’s also just so good at weaving suspense.
I will never look at snails the same way again.
did-not-finish
July 14, 2024did not finish. 4 de 12 contos (29%)
foi giro enquanto estava no hype do Perfect Days, mas foi isso. não foi o suficiente para ter interesse em ler os 8 contos restantes portanto abandono a partir do When the Fleet Was in at Mobile.
foi giro enquanto estava no hype do Perfect Days, mas foi isso. não foi o suficiente para ter interesse em ler os 8 contos restantes portanto abandono a partir do When the Fleet Was in at Mobile.
November 27, 2025
Patricia Highsmith is one… interesting woman. Say all you want about her, you can’t deny her writing is phenomenal.
This was probably one of the best, actually maybe just the best, short story collection I’ve ever read. Nothing but bangers from her.
My ratings to each short story:
The Snail-Watcher: 5/5⭐️
The Birds Poised to Fly: 4.25/5⭐️
The Terrapin: 5/5⭐️
When the Fleet Was In at Mobile: 4.25/5⭐️
The Quest for Blank Claveringi: 4.25/5⭐️
The Cries of Love: 4/5⭐️
Mrs Afton, Among Thy Green Braes: 5/5⭐️
The Heroine: 5/5⭐️
Another Bridge to Cross: 3/5⭐️
The Barbarians: 4/5⭐️
The Empty Birdhouse: 4.75/5⭐️
As you can see, it deserves my five star.
This was probably one of the best, actually maybe just the best, short story collection I’ve ever read. Nothing but bangers from her.
My ratings to each short story:
The Snail-Watcher: 5/5⭐️
The Birds Poised to Fly: 4.25/5⭐️
The Terrapin: 5/5⭐️
When the Fleet Was In at Mobile: 4.25/5⭐️
The Quest for Blank Claveringi: 4.25/5⭐️
The Cries of Love: 4/5⭐️
Mrs Afton, Among Thy Green Braes: 5/5⭐️
The Heroine: 5/5⭐️
Another Bridge to Cross: 3/5⭐️
The Barbarians: 4/5⭐️
The Empty Birdhouse: 4.75/5⭐️
As you can see, it deserves my five star.
January 10, 2018
Molluscopobia is the 'irrational' or 'ridiculous' fear of members of the mollusc family, such as slugs or snails.
While demonstrating her talent for observing and portraying the darker complexities of human psychology throughout; at least two horrifying tales in this striking and uncanny anthology ought to leave you questioning whether the aforementioned phobia really is so 'ridiculous' after all.
Side note: Irascible and deeply contemptuous of people, Patricia Highsmith reportedly harboured a deep affection for snails - keeping 300 of them as pets.
While demonstrating her talent for observing and portraying the darker complexities of human psychology throughout; at least two horrifying tales in this striking and uncanny anthology ought to leave you questioning whether the aforementioned phobia really is so 'ridiculous' after all.
Side note: Irascible and deeply contemptuous of people, Patricia Highsmith reportedly harboured a deep affection for snails - keeping 300 of them as pets.
August 13, 2021
I haven't read any of her work before. This was a very interesting collection of stories and I loved the language in all of them. It was really nice to read.
Not sure if it is only in this book but snails seem to be a favourite of the author! Three of the stories revolve around them in one way or the other.
The stories evoke nostalgia for the period in which they were written; situations and attitudes are accordingly portrayed. There is a subtle hint of the mystery that is the characteristic of her full length books in the stories.
Not sure if it is only in this book but snails seem to be a favourite of the author! Three of the stories revolve around them in one way or the other.
The stories evoke nostalgia for the period in which they were written; situations and attitudes are accordingly portrayed. There is a subtle hint of the mystery that is the characteristic of her full length books in the stories.
March 2, 2024
I came across this book because of the movie "perfect days" and it makes total sense why the main character would read this.
The book basically tells eleven stories about how horrible people can be how greedy how evil and unemphatic.
Something that a happy outcast would love for sure. It ensures one to stay away from people and live in peace.
The book basically tells eleven stories about how horrible people can be how greedy how evil and unemphatic.
Something that a happy outcast would love for sure. It ensures one to stay away from people and live in peace.
December 16, 2014
I loved the Ripley books, but this was quite disappointing from Highsmith. Maybe it's because in general I'm not a fan of short stories. A few of them just seemed to stop. I can't really point to one that was outstanding. And what's with the snail obsession?
May 23, 2014
Contains two of the best short stories about snails I have ever read.
December 6, 2024
Average story rating: 3.77 ☆
This was my first time reading anything by Patricia Highsmith, and I can say that I completely understand the decades-long hold her work has had in crime fiction spaces. Her ability to create tension and darken a mood with such sparse and matter-of-fact prose immediately pulls the reader into each of these stories, allowing us to occupy the minds of the villainous, power-hungry, deluded, and haunted. See these characters and their pathetic little lives, Highsmith seems to be saying. See what I can make them do.
It’s really impressive to me that this is a collection of some of Highsmith’s earliest works. Even this early in her career, she manages to show an almost masterful understanding of plot and what makes even an open-ended narrative satisfying. I can see Highsmith’s influence in contemporary authors like Ottessa Moshfegh, and would not be surprised if she herself was pulling stylistic and thematic inspiration from Shirley Jackson. If you’ve read and enjoyed Homesick for Another World, Eileen, The Bird’s Nest, or We Have Always Lived in the Castle, this collection might really work for you.
I highly recommend this collection—it’s gross, surreal, transient, and each story carries with it this undercurrent of tension and unease that I love in short fiction. BUT I do have to give the disclaimer that Highsmith is a controversial figure, and it’s impossible to fully disentangle her misanthropic and bigoted perspectives from her work. I want to make it clear that I do not agree with her on many of her (very loud!) personal beliefs, and that this did add a certain layer of discomfort to how I read this collection.
This was my first time reading anything by Patricia Highsmith, and I can say that I completely understand the decades-long hold her work has had in crime fiction spaces. Her ability to create tension and darken a mood with such sparse and matter-of-fact prose immediately pulls the reader into each of these stories, allowing us to occupy the minds of the villainous, power-hungry, deluded, and haunted. See these characters and their pathetic little lives, Highsmith seems to be saying. See what I can make them do.
It’s really impressive to me that this is a collection of some of Highsmith’s earliest works. Even this early in her career, she manages to show an almost masterful understanding of plot and what makes even an open-ended narrative satisfying. I can see Highsmith’s influence in contemporary authors like Ottessa Moshfegh, and would not be surprised if she herself was pulling stylistic and thematic inspiration from Shirley Jackson. If you’ve read and enjoyed Homesick for Another World, Eileen, The Bird’s Nest, or We Have Always Lived in the Castle, this collection might really work for you.
I highly recommend this collection—it’s gross, surreal, transient, and each story carries with it this undercurrent of tension and unease that I love in short fiction. BUT I do have to give the disclaimer that Highsmith is a controversial figure, and it’s impossible to fully disentangle her misanthropic and bigoted perspectives from her work. I want to make it clear that I do not agree with her on many of her (very loud!) personal beliefs, and that this did add a certain layer of discomfort to how I read this collection.
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