A review by sarahmatthews
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

dark tense medium-paced

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

Read on audio

Narrator: William Roberts for RNIB audiobooks

Published 1950, 281 pp

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This is my first book by this author, her debut, and it was brilliant! I read it quickly as it was so tense and I just had to know how it was all going to play out. the premise is famous as it became a Hitchcock movie very soon after publication, making it an instant classic. I knew the basic set up was that two men meet on a train and talk about people in their lives that they could do with getting rid of and one of them suggests they murder for the other as the crimes would be untraceable if done well due to there being no motive.

I found a novel with characters whose inner thoughts and motivations are so well explored (horribly unlikeable people of course!) and I was happy to be swept along even though I was mentally willing one of them, Guy, to just tell the police what was going on as it seemed he had a way out several times. I found his life as a famous architect very engaging and this, along with his relationship with Anne, meant he had so much to lose. the scenes on the train are gripping and the sense of doom is present from the start.

The depiction of unhinged Bruno was so well done with his gradual breakdown and stalkerish obsession with Guy leading to all kinds of complications.

I read it on audio, narrated by William Roberts who did a fantastic job. The many short chapters that switched perspective frequently made me keep reading and the claustrophobic atmosphere was addictive. the central idea that any ordinary person has the capacity to become a murderer given a certain set of circumstances is so fascinating. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a classic psychological thriller that’ll have you on edge but that’s more of a study of human nature rather than being full of gruesome details. I’ll definitely be reading more of Patricia Highsmith’s novels in future.