![]() Harge, Carol’s ex-husband, is suspicious of Therese, and Richard accuses Therese of having a ‘schoolgirl crush’ – ‘You don’t understand.’ But he did, and that was why he was angry. On impulse, Therese sends Carol a Christmas card. Carol is going through a divorce and is also lonely, and the two begin a friendship that quickly turns to love. ![]() ![]() She takes a job in a department store during the Christmas rush where she meets Carol Aird, a customer buying a doll for her daughter. Therese is struggling to break into a career in set design and is dating Richard, a man she has no deep feelings for. It’s the story of Therese Belivet, a lonely young woman beginning her life in Manhattan. Perhaps Carol was an odd place to start because it is not representative of Highsmith’s main body of work (psychological thrillers). In the past, I’ve dismissed her work as ‘not my thing’ (on account of me being coverist* – you know those crime novels with darkly coloured covers and the author’s name in blocky gold-foil font, often found lying about at beach houses? That.) Anyway, I changed my mind a few years ago when I saw the fantastic play, Switzerland – Highsmith is the subject and the play included bizarre biographical details (things like carrying snails around in handbags). I was intrigued. Believe it or not, Carol is my first Patricia Highsmith. ![]()
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