Really enjoyed it, weirdly relatable and kept coming back for more.
I'd seen the movie of the same name at the cinema back in 1999, and I remember Matt Damon as Ripley, but I didn't remember the details, except to say that the air of the character was this slightly creepy, little weird but quite clever individual.
And wow, his character really was in the pages of The Talented Mr Ripley all along. Although, as I re-watch the movie trailer today some 27 years later, I can see that the movie, though the last scenes play out similarly, the body of the movie is quite different.
Anyway, back to the book.
The entire story is told from Ripley's perspective. Seeing through his lens and how he reacts, and particularly his neuroses (even before foul play) let's me sit in this awkward state of unease throughout reading the book.
Even from the first pages, as he's moving through the night feeling like he's being followed by the police, on high alert from being caught, but being unsure if it's in his head or something that's real.
This quote that I highlighted sort of says it all:
He was afraid of nameless, formless things that haunted his brain like the Furies.
The relatable parts for me were the constant noise in his head, questioning reality and motivations. How in so many cases there's really no meaningful outcome (obviously in his case, it's a bit more … murder'y) to events, and how in so many cases "justice" doesn't really play out the way we think.
I really enjoyed it, and the story really pulled me along, though I did rather smash into the end of the book (the copy I had included a chapter from Ripley #2 which I didn't account for).
2 Highlights
He was afraid of nameless, formless things that haunted his brain like the Furies.
Tom had the feeling that if she had Dickie back and her book published by next winter, she would probably just explode with happiness, make a loud, attractive ploop! and that would be the end of her.