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How to Read the 'Ripley' Novel Series in Order
Andrew Scott plays the charming psychopath in Netflix's new adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley. Here's our guide to her bestselling novels.
“Be yourself," goes Oscar Wilde's famous quip*, "everybody else is already taken."
Yes, yes... it’s funny because it’s true. Except, strictly speaking, it's not true. It discounts the quite practical possibility of murdering someone you idolise in cold blood, destroying the body and assuming their identity to enjoy their life for the rest of yours. The rest is mere details: forge some utility bills, change your appearance and mannerisms, decipher their social media passwords and convince the people who love them that they’ve done a runner.
Yes, you’d have to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder. And yes, you'd probably have to murder anyone who gets too close to the truth. But what price is that to pay for the life you’ve always wanted?
That’s the trick according to Tom Ripley, the eponymous psychopath at the centre of Netflix’s new series Ripley, based on the bestselling set of novels by Patricia Highsmith.
The limited series, starring one-time ‘hot priest’ Andrew Scott as our life-shifting antihero, is a moody, noirish, slow-burn of a TV show, shot entirely in black and white with a score that oozes over the action like Marmite.
Scott's portrayal of Tom Ripley is as haunting as it is enthralling, capturing the character's complex layers of manipulation and inner turmoil. And unlike Anthony Minghella’s sun-drenched 1999 adaptation, starring Matt Damon and Jude Law, it’s much closer to the book’s dark and morally ambiguous tone, delving deep into the psyche of literature’s most loveable psychopath.
First published in 1955, The Talented Mr Ripley was a massive hit, immersing readers in her murky world of deception and consequence, where the line between right and wrong swirls into a murky grey. And, as decades passed, more books followed, deepening Highsmith's exploration into the lengths one man will go to escape his own identity and fulfil his desires.
So what are the books, and how should they be read? The short answer is that, while each novel can be read as a standalone story, they are interconnected and depict the evolution of Ripley's character over time. So it's best to read them chronologically.
Read on for more (WARNING: this article may include spoilers).
*There is no substantive evidence that Wilde ever said this, but it sounds like a witticism he could have said, so the attribution has stuck.
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