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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Deep Water is as methodical and patient as its narrator. It does drag at times due to the litany of dinner parties and internal monologues, but the payoff is a unique take on a "sympathetic" killer. By positioning multiple ethical dimensions against a close-knit social circle Highsmith explores the ambiguities of fault, trust, and revenge. To fully appreciate this book you have to love the 50's wealthy small-town setting a lot more than I did, but it's still well worth reading for fans of slow-burn psychological murder.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Vic and Melinda are not-so-happily married, with their young child and living in Massachusetts. In an attempt to make herself happier, Melinda often has affairs with other men, not keeping anything hidden from Vic. When one of Melinda's lovers is at their house for a party and he mysteriously drowns, Melinda blames Vic. This incident, combined with rumors floating around town, cause Melinda to question what exactly Vic is capable of.
By reading this book, you could tell it was written 50+ years ago. There are references in it like CPR wasn't called CPR or people calling other peoples houses to see if they knew where someone else was. This book didn't really hold my interest until the drowning, which happens a good way through. After that it was hard to put down. The events near the end of the book had me glued to the pages to see what would happen next.
This book isn't something I would normally read, or recommend to a friend. There is a movie adaptation of this on Hulu, which I preferred to the book.