Ripley’s Game

By: Patricia Highsmith

Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly

With its sinister humor and genius plotting, Ripley's Game is an enduring portrait of a compulsive, sociopathic American antihero.

Living on his posh French estate with his elegant heiress wife, Tom Ripley, on the cusp of middle age, is no longer the striving comer of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Having accrued considerable wealth through a long career of crime—forgery, extortion, serial murder—Ripley still finds his appetite unquenched and longs to get back in the game.

In Ripley's Game, first published in 1974, Patricia Highsmith's classic chameleon relishes the opportunity to simultaneously repay an insult and help a friend commit a crime—and escape the doldrums of his idyllic retirement. This third novel in Highsmith's series is one of her most psychologically nuanced—particularly memorable for its dark, absurd humor—and was hailed by critics for its ability to manipulate the tropes of the genre. With the creation of Ripley, one of literature's most seductive sociopaths, Highsmith anticipated the likes of Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter years before their appearance.

©1974 Patricia Highsmith. © 1993 by Diogenes Verlag AG, Zurich (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Brilliant and disconcerting at the same time

While this is probably my favorite Highsmith/Ripley novel so far, it is also the most unsettling. She manages - by introducing a new counter-Narrator (Jonathan) - to make Ripley's amorality seem even more fragile and desolate. Jonathan's wife Simone also stands as an interesting counter-spouse to Heloise. Throughout the novel the twisting and sometimes converging tales of Ripley and Jonathan seem like spinning endless images mirrors. Each narrator reflecting the existential, blood-splattered flatness of the other. It was brilliant and disconcerting at the same time.

Back for thirds

What did you love best about Ripley’s Game?

That it wasn't just Tom Ripley anymore - now we have Trevinie to learn about also. I loved that the story is told from two different intersecting points of view.

What other book might you compare Ripley’s Game to and why?

No clue.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Kenerly – was your favorite?

Jonathan. He's not a killer (well, that's debatable). He's a regular guy - a regular guy just like Tom used to be? And it's fun to listen to his torment as he's dragged through the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Maybe when Jonathan watched Reeves demonstrate how to use the garrote on the bedpost.

Any additional comments?

I wasn't sure Highsmith could keep it interesting for a third book, but she did. The two points of view lets us get to know Jonathan and see how he's sucked into horrible things by Tom.

More Ripley!

If you could sum up Ripley’s Game in three words, what would they be?

compellingly likeable sociopath

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ripley’s Game?

the moment when he almost started to admit his attraction to Dickie. The reason this character is so compelling is he has so many layers that some are hidden to himself. We are drawn into Tom Ripleys view of the world even as we see how he deceives himself. We know he is not a good person yet we buy his self-assessment as a nice guy who is making the best of a bad situation.

What does Kevin Kenerly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The spell of Highsmiths writing was never broken by the reader. He was Tom Ripley when he needed to be and the rest of the time he stayed out of the authors way. This is the balancing act that every reader needs to master.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Toms mounting paranoia and insecurity contrasted with his cool assessment and handling of every turn and twist. I was addicted and had to get the next book and the next in order to see how long he could maintain the balancing act.

Good read

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I always enjoy the Tom Ripley character, there were some twists in this one.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Well done

Have you listened to any of Kevin Kenerly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was Ripley’s Game worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Good airplane book

Can you find someone who can do a French accent?

Kenerly is mostly doing a very nice job. Unfortunately, these books feature many characters who are French. Oh boy. Kevin simply MURDERS this accent, with a brutality that Tom Ripley could not muster in his most violent crime. He misplaces or adds "r" in the weirdest places. "Bronjour, Antroine". It has made it unbearable for me to listen to the books in this series, which I love.