Patricia Highsmith is the author of more than 20 books, including well-known classics. Her first novel Strangers on a Train (1950) became a major commercial success and was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock. Her most popular literary creation was Tom Ripley, the dapper sociopath who debuted in her 1955 novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. There were four other Ripley novels, and a film. Yet she decided to publish The Price of Salt (or Carol) in1952 under a pseudonym. The novel tells the story of a young woman Therese Belivet, who serves a glamorous older woman (Carol Aird) in a department store at Christmas. That casual encounter sparks in a romance between the two women, and a Thelma and Louise style cross-country road trip. They are chased by a private detective hired by Carol’s husband, but their crime is exploring a romance that is not accepted socially at the time.
Many publishers turned down this incredible book because it was about a lesbian relationship. The 50s in America were not open days for homosexuals. Most American novels at the time depicted gay or lesbian relationships as deviations and the characters met untimely ends. But Highsmith found a publisher, and the book found a loving audience.
I’d say this novel is about discovering a strength you didn’t know you had.
