Deep Water

Patricia Highsmith

Jul 2003 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

Now a major motion picture starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas
In Deep Water, set in the quiet, small town of Little Wesley, Patricia Highsmith has created a vicious and suspenseful tale of love gone sour.

Vic and Melinda Van Allen's loveless marriage is held together only by a precarious arrangement whereby, in order to avoid the messiness of divorce, Melinda is allowed to take any number of lovers as long as she does not desert her family. Eventually, Vic can no longer suppress his jealousy and tries to win back his wife by asserting himself through a tall tale of murder—one that soon comes true. In this complex portrayal of a dangerous psychosis emerging in the most unlikely of places, Highsmith examines the chilling reality behind the idyllic facade of American suburban life.

Ratings and reviews

The beginning moved so slowly I considered setting the book aside. Not ever happy to do that, I persevered and was glad that I did so. At some point the story of Vic's psychosis became riviting.

An exceptional story that shows us a darker part of ourselves, you feel the victim was asking for what they got, and find yourself hoping the perpetrator escapes punishment. Then you are left questioning your own sense of justice.

I'll give it 5 stars because damn that was a great book.

About the author

Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995) was the author of more than twenty novels, including Strangers on a Train, The Price of Salt and The Talented Mr. Ripley, as well as numerous short stories.