Highsmith - The Boy who Followed Ripley - Comment.

 

Out of all the Ripley novels, this being the last instalment of a series of five books focuses more on the central psychological issue that most of the stories touch upon, and that is, having to live with oneself after committing a terrible crime, in this case, murder.

If you are acquainted with any of the Ripley novels, you will understand that their uniqueness lies in the disturbing thoughts and behavior of its protagonist, as he is thoroughly devoid of conscience, having the capacity to commit murder, usually on a spontaneous whim, and rationalize the crime to such an extent, that we the readers, are totally convinced that the crime was justified. Ripley is a highly likable villain, and a type of villain we want to see succeed. He is cultured, well-mannered, loves his beautiful wife, an expert gardener, appreciates fine art, music and beautiful things, but is capable of incredible heinous acts without a second thought.

In this last novel, Ripley is living quite comfortably at Belle Ombre, his beautiful home in Villeperce, and seems to be heading for an easy retirement. At the café in town, a strange boy turns up, and through a series of events, the two become good friends. As it turns out, the boy is a runaway from the United States, a member of a wealthy family. The boy has a terrible secret, he has committed murder, and he's on the run from his a family and his conscience.

As the tale progresses, Ripley takes on the role of mentor, having murdered many times before, perhaps unconsciously or not, guides the boy psychologically towards a frame of mind or attitude, in order to live with murder. Ripley has the capacity to compartmentalize his thoughts, push his conscience conveniently aside, in order to live with himself. The young lad seems to have the same psychological predisposition, but as the story unfolds, the boy's behavior points otherwise.

This last Ripley novel is different because Ripley takes on the role of mentor and rescuer, saving the boy from the clutches of some unsavory characters, performing his unique brand of violence which surprises, leaving the reader cold. But in his role as savior, we cheer him as he commits these unspeakable acts.

For me at least, the ending of the novel was not predictable, it was both surprising and incredibly sad on many levels. Most of all, this book is disturbing, illustrating the fact that as human beings, we have the capacity to justify virtually anything, including murder.