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A review by pudseyrecommends
The Tremor of Forgery: A Virago Modern Classic (Virago Modern Classics) by Patricia Highsmith
4.0
I was intrigued and captivated by Patricia Highsmith's narrative, almost like a forensic analysis of her main character, Ingham, who holds liberal views and America itself, represented by a secondary character who could easily be a MAGA type today, which Ingham nicknames OWL (Our Way Of Life). OWL preaches the religious and western ways as the way to be, and nothing else will do; Ingham mostly avoids any type of conflict with OWL.
In a strange episode, it seems like Ingham killed an elderly Arab thief who was breaking into his cottage and the hotel or their staff might have buried the body to avoid bad press, but all we discover in everyone's reactions is a slight, self-protective fear from Ingham, condemnation from OWL who seems to influence Ingham's girlfriend Ina's views, and Jensen's disregard of the whole thing.
There is an undercurrent theme of homosexuality and how natural it all is, which I found most interesting. Right at the beginning of the story, Ingham's comments that in Tunisia there is no stigma for boys to be going out with other boys, they hold hands in public and it feels completely natural. Ingham befriends gay Danish Jensen and go on to become best of friends. Ina insinuates at one point her jealousy of their relationship, she can see that Jensen loves Ingham, and goes on to admit to having had a crush at another girl when she was in school.
What I felt was that Patricia Highsmith is investigating here is the relationship between two English-speaking men who find themselves overseas during civil unrest and on different sides of “a moral compass”; these American tourists are so full of prejudices and Highsmith has no qualm in presenting them with brutal honesty. What a clever writer.
In a strange episode, it seems like Ingham killed an elderly Arab thief who was breaking into his cottage and the hotel or their staff might have buried the body to avoid bad press, but all we discover in everyone's reactions is a slight, self-protective fear from Ingham, condemnation from OWL who seems to influence Ingham's girlfriend Ina's views, and Jensen's disregard of the whole thing.
There is an undercurrent theme of homosexuality and how natural it all is, which I found most interesting. Right at the beginning of the story, Ingham's comments that in Tunisia there is no stigma for boys to be going out with other boys, they hold hands in public and it feels completely natural. Ingham befriends gay Danish Jensen and go on to become best of friends. Ina insinuates at one point her jealousy of their relationship, she can see that Jensen loves Ingham, and goes on to admit to having had a crush at another girl when she was in school.
What I felt was that Patricia Highsmith is investigating here is the relationship between two English-speaking men who find themselves overseas during civil unrest and on different sides of “a moral compass”; these American tourists are so full of prejudices and Highsmith has no qualm in presenting them with brutal honesty. What a clever writer.