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A review by mysimas
The Price of Salt, or Carol by Patricia Highsmith
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Carol, a sister book to Forster’s Maurice.
Maybe it was me, maybe it was the book, but the prose, although beautiful, sometimes confused me. A lot of the first half was also kind of a blur for me, most scenes didn’t really stand out or apart, though I felt quite charmed by the overall feel.
Therese’s growth was beautiful to witness and reminiscent of aforementioned Maurice or even Pride and Prejudice. Carol did some growing of her own, too, and she was one of the more convincing love interests I’ve encountered in fiction.
Definitely a book I would like to reread, this time carefully looking for the paralels as well as the uncanny synchronicity of thought that Carol and Therese seemed to display at times.
Last but not least, shoutout to the worst line ever and the pretty great one that followed right after:
Maybe it was me, maybe it was the book, but the prose, although beautiful, sometimes confused me. A lot of the first half was also kind of a blur for me, most scenes didn’t really stand out or apart, though I felt quite charmed by the overall feel.
Therese’s growth was beautiful to witness and reminiscent of aforementioned Maurice or even Pride and Prejudice. Carol did some growing of her own, too, and she was one of the more convincing love interests I’ve encountered in fiction.
Definitely a book I would like to reread, this time carefully looking for the paralels as well as the uncanny synchronicity of thought that Carol and Therese seemed to display at times.
Last but not least, shoutout to the worst line ever and the pretty great one that followed right after:
The milk seemed to taste of bone and blood, of warm flesh, or hair, saltless as chalk yet alive as a growing embryo.
It was hot through and through to the bottom of the cup, and Therese drank it down, as people in fairy tales drink the potion that will transform, or the unsuspecting warrior the cup that will kill.
(Seriously, I almost wept at the contrast.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Abandonment
Moderate: Fatphobia and Stalking
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
To explain my warnings a little:
Abandonment — relates to Therese’s childhood history which later resonates with the events of the book.
Homophobia — a characteristic of the society at the time, some of the characters display hate. Carol and Therese do not suffer from prominent internalized homophobia.
Fatphobia — occurs mostly in the first half of the book. Could be argued for as a characteristic of Therese’s, from which she eventually starts to grow.
Stalking — does not happen between Carol and Therese, or in a romantic context, and is not portrayed as a good thing.
Suicidal thoughts — a very brief reflection of Therese’s that spans all of two lines.