Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith

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Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 259 ratings · 29 reviews

'Nothing That Meets the Eye' confirms Patricia Highsmith as a great American writer.

If only Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) had been alive to see the thunderous critical response to the publication of the best-selling 'The Selected Stories of Patricia Highsmith' in 2001. Now the Highsmith renaissance continues with this brilliant collection of 28 short stories, a great majo...more

Paperback, 464 pages

Published November 17th 2003 by W. W. Norton & Company (first published October 17th 2002)

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Mar 22, 2013 Michael Tucker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Subtitled The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith, the book comprises twenty-eight classic Highsmith tales. If you are familiar with The Talented Mr. Ripley, either the novel or the 1999 movie staring Matt Damon, then you know something about the talented Ms. Highsmith.

These stories span the writing career of the author from 1938 to 1982 and include many stories that were never previously published. The collection is divided into two parts in chronological order. Part I Early Stories consi...more Subtitled The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith, the book comprises twenty-eight classic Highsmith tales. If you are familiar with The Talented Mr. Ripley, either the novel or the 1999 movie staring Matt Damon, then you know something about the talented Ms. Highsmith.

These stories span the writing career of the author from 1938 to 1982 and include many stories that were never previously published. The collection is divided into two parts in chronological order. Part I Early Stories consists of stories written from 1938 to 1949, the first three of which were published while she was an undergraduate at Barnard College, and Part II Middle and Later Stories covers the period from 1952 to 1982. The order allows the reader the opportunity to follow the author’s growth as a writer.

Most of these stories were found after her death in 1995. They were stored in a linen closet, like something you would expect to read in one of her stories. It is believed that she secreted these away because their disturbing psychological themes of loneliness and isolation, alcoholism, child molestation, spousal abuse and suicide would not find an acceptable audience in the America of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s.

Their loss, our gain.

It is almost scary considering Ms. Highsmith’s age when she wrote the first three stories. They offer remarkable insight to psychologically disturbed individuals. The shocking loneliness eliminates the need for violence in these opening tales.

Some of her stories are light, almost whimsical, but yet retain a look into the disturbing tone. Miss Juste and the Green Rompers as well as Two Disagreeable Pigeons are examples. The latter will strike a cord with any wife that reads it. The Trouble with Mrs. Blynn, the Trouble with the World is a tender story that pulls at your heart and at the same time reflects the flaws of people that we see every day. After reading Man’s Best Friend you will want to get your own dog, and Born Failure is the kind of story that reminds you of an old movie where you have tears of joy at the end.

Music to Die By is among the Middle and Later Stories but I’m don’t know when between 1952 and 1982 it was actually written. It may or may not have been a bit prescient. The story is about a postal worker and gives us a slightly different meaning to the term “going postal”. A Very Nice Man will creep out any parent, in more ways than one.

Selecting the collection’s title from the story Nothing That Meets The Eye is most appropriate for all of these stories offer little, and sometimes big, surprises. That is what you will find in the titled story. We meet an average looking middle-aged woman who has lead a relatively uneventful life that unexpected finds herself the center of attention of every man and many of the women when she visits an alpine ski resort.

If you’ve never read any of Ms. Highsmith’s work before, then let me offer this word of caution: if you start to read her stories you may not be able to stop.
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Mar 03, 2013 Shane rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had mixed feelings while reading this book of mainly unpublished stories by the queen of the psychological thriller. I could understand why Highsmith, an author who focussed on her craft, would stow away some of these stories, particularly her earlier pieces, in a box, and never want them published. Many are either too long for what they deliver, or too contrived and drive only towards a tragic conclusion.

The book falls into two parts: The Early Stories (1938-1949) and The Middle and Later Sto...more I had mixed feelings while reading this book of mainly unpublished stories by the queen of the psychological thriller. I could understand why Highsmith, an author who focussed on her craft, would stow away some of these stories, particularly her earlier pieces, in a box, and never want them published. Many are either too long for what they deliver, or too contrived and drive only towards a tragic conclusion.

The book falls into two parts: The Early Stories (1938-1949) and The Middle and Later Stories (1952 – 1982) and I wondered why they had not been published as two different collections as they have distinct differences in style, pacing and theme. At over 400 pages it is a rather bulky tome of short stories. The early stories understandably have a dated style, are long on descriptions, take longer to develop, and emphasise women trying to find their footing in a world peopled by weak men – perhaps reminiscent of Highsmith’s own struggle to establish herself as a writer at the time. In this early phase, sinister elements such as pedophilia are only hinted to but not overtly expressed. Her later stories are better crafted but they take a darker tone and revolve around a predictable situation: the protagonist is almost certainly going to self-destruct.

I was engaged by the second section although the situations felt contrived, usually involving a confluence of events that place the protagonist in an untenable situation from which he, or she, must get out or perish in the attempt. Consider the following: a sci-fi writer and his male secretary (who is having an affair with the former’s wife) go into the woods alone; a man is stuck in a hotel room in Paris with the daughter of his former lover who wants to seduce him like her mother had done twenty years ago; a suicidal woman at an Austrian ski resort has men falling all over her and threatening to commit suicide themselves. Some situations were too contrived: I don’t think that planes landed on schedule at European airports at 3am! And do cops let off a man who has just admitted to giving his wife a black eye?

Highsmith’s preoccupation with death is obvious when reading these tales, and therefore I found no uplifting message, no hope. Some of her female characters like Hattie in “Quiet Night” are unapologetically cruel, and others are racist. Some of her men take the blame for crimes they did not commit as they see glory in the destruction of others and themselves. Although known as a writer who plumbs the minds of her characters, given that these are short stories, I found that Highsmith is more subservient to the exigencies of plot rather than character here, and some of her characters come across as caricatures. I did find one story that I liked very much however, “The Returnees,” which portrays the return of exiles to Germany after WWII and the conflicts that such a move entails; none of the contrivance here, just the heartache of re-establishing broken lives and discovering that home can never be home anymore.

Altogether, a broad canvas of human situations given that the stories span nearly 45 years of the writer’s life. Some are difficult to engage with, others are predictably tragic, and a few gems defy the stereotype and stick out occasionally. I am sure Highsmith’s loyal fans will enjoy this book, but it may be a skewed introduction for someone picking this book as the first to read in her oeuvre.
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Oct 18, 2012 Robert Davies rated it 5 of 5 stars

I fell in love with this book before I'd even read it - it was an anniversary gift from me to my mother, one she never finished before her death; then I read the story of how Highsmith's manuscripts were discovered posthumously and hidden from repossession in a cardboard box. I'm glad to say that when I started reading, the stories inside it lived up to the ones surrounding it.

As always, some stand out above the others, but all are engaging, and most have a dark and uncomfortable edge that stays...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Sydney rated it 4 of 5 stars

A collection of short stories by an author I had never heard of before my father-in-law lent me this book. She was a prolific writer and apparent perfectionist. These stories were gathered after her death and had never been published before. She wrote several stories and novels that were made into films including including HItchcock's Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Her stories are described as psychological thrillers and I would agree that there is nearly constantly a feeling...more

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May 19, 2007 Ak rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paul

Shelves: patricia

Best short stories written by a crime fiction writer ever....her insight into human psyche is highly notable

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Jul 14, 2008 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: shortstories, all-timefavorites

These short stories are the best I've read lately. Precise and pessimistic.

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Feb 10, 2011 Núria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, 3-buenos, cuentos, literatura-en-ingles, prestados, siglo-xx

Éste ha sido mi segundo acercamiento a Patricia Highsmith; el primero fue ‘Pequeños cuentos misóginos’. ‘Una afición peligrosa’ recoge cuentos escritos por Highsmith entre 1952 y 1982, la mayoría de ellos inéditos hasta después de su muerte. Pero mientras que ‘Pequeños cuentos misóginos’ me pareció un libro brillante, redondo y perfecto, éste me ha parecido algo irregular: tiene unos cuentos muy buenos pero otros que sólo no están mal. Aunque lo curioso del caso es que los siete primeros cuentos...more Éste ha sido mi segundo acercamiento a Patricia Highsmith; el primero fue ‘Pequeños cuentos misóginos’. ‘Una afición peligrosa’ recoge cuentos escritos por Highsmith entre 1952 y 1982, la mayoría de ellos inéditos hasta después de su muerte. Pero mientras que ‘Pequeños cuentos misóginos’ me pareció un libro brillante, redondo y perfecto, éste me ha parecido algo irregular: tiene unos cuentos muy buenos pero otros que sólo no están mal. Aunque lo curioso del caso es que los siete primeros cuentos del libro me han encantado, mientras que los siete segundos sólo me han parecido aceptables o regulares. Puede que esto parezca una coincidencia demasiado improbable y que alguien llegue a opinar que lo que haya pasado es que los cuentos probablemente tengan todos más o menos la misma calidad pero que yo me haya cansado de leer cuentos cortados por el mismo patrón uno detrás de otro. Pero yo diría que no ha sido esto.

El problema es que los últimos cuentos son cuentos básicamente sobre asesinatos y, aunque tienen el sentido del humor negro típico en Highsmith, son demasiado previsibles y con personajes demasiado esquemáticos como para resultarme realmente interesantes. El único cuento con asesinato que me ha gustado es el que da título al recopilatorio y me ha gustado porque, aunque también en cierto modo es previsible, lo importante no es tanto contar cómo ha ocurrido el asesinato, cómo el asesino lo ha escondido y si lo van a atrapar o no (tal como pasa en los otros), sino describirnos al protagonista, que en este caso se salva de caer en el esquematismo y la excesiva superficialidad. Los otros seis cuentos son más atípicos, frescos y originales. Hay un cuento sobre una mujer que se muere e inevitablemente examina su vida y otro sobre una pareja que vuelve a Alemania después de haber vivido un tiempo exiliados en Inglaterra. Hay uno realmente inteligente, complejo y absorbente sobre la relación de un hombre solitario y depresivo con el perro inteligente y elegante que le ha regalado la mujer que le ha dado calabazas.

Pero probablemente los que más me han gustado son dos cuentos optimistas que tratan sobre lo buenas que pueden ser algunas personas cuando menos te lo esperas, algo que sorprende terriblemente en una escritora con tan fama de misántropa como Patricia Highsmith. Uno está protagonizado por un hombre que es un perdedor de lo más gafe, pero que se da cuenta que tiene el apoyo y el afecto de sus conciudadaons, mientras que el otro está protagonizado por un señor mayor amante de los periquitos y generoso con sus vecinos, pero que se dedica a hacer pequeños trapicheos para poder acabar de ganarse la vida. Y se trata de dos cuentos realmente bonitos. Aún así, es curioso ver como una ternura extraña y una especie de melancolía dulce están presentes en muchos de los cuentos de este recopilatorio, no sólo en estos dos. Pero esto no quiere decir que Highsmith deje de ser ácida y caiga en la cursilería, simplemente quiere decir que puede escribir también cuentos deliciosos y optimistas.
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Feb 04, 2012 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, short-stories, favorites

No idea what came over me. Generally don't read short stories, but Patricia Highsmith and a few select others are the exception.
Highsmith writes elegant short stories with great economy, but her characters live on the page and her plots are complicated. Most are psychological and her characters are desperate in one way or another. If you have always disliked short stories because you found them thin and the characters dull, Highsmith would change your mind. She did mine.

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Aug 15, 2011 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you enjoy Highsmith, this is a delightful collection, although I found it difficult to read through a 400 page collection of short stories. At times Highsmith comes across as a very dark AR Gurney or John Cheever, chronicling the failures and struggles of the upper middle class. I found the final stories, the suicide group as I like to think of them, the most enjoyable, if that's the right word. Most of her characters are well drawn and even the seemingly small vignettes are trenchant portrai...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is divided into two parts: early writings and later writings. It was really interested to see Highsmith's style develop over the course of so many years. While there's a disturbing psychological element to all of her short stories, the later ones introduce a much darker side.

I'm a huge fan of the Tom Ripley series and felt like I could see Highsmith experimenting with ideas in short story form that would eventually be included in Ripley.

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Mar 18, 2008 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anne Rice or Stephen King fans who REALLY want to be scared!

Shelves: booksofthepast

Patricia Highsmith is most known for her impeccably sinister "Ripley" novels, but this book is arguably just as worth reading. A collection of short stories, many previously unpublished, "Nothing That Meets the Eye" is as a canon subtly chilling. Highsmith cautiously engages her readers with likable, familiar characters whose experiences in her stories are unexpected but still somehow realistic.

A master of the psychological thriller- no cheesy slasher flick gore here- Highsmith makes you be afr...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

A new York times Notable Book.
Highsmeith is an intelligent.sophiticated writer ( the Mr. Ripley series) who knows how to tell an enthralling murder mystery - or psychological narratives as they are sometimes called. Good for those nights when you can't get to sleep.

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Jan 14, 2012 Sheila rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finally a book I cannot put down. It is like watching Alfred Hitchcock or twilight zone episodes. Short stories by an author who wrote during the 40s-60s. A wonderful read.

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Dec 19, 2008 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

An excellent collection of short stories written by the author of the Ripley books. Some are funny, some intriguing and some downright evil and scary. A great read.

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Nov 11, 2009 Tuck rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

highsmith is SO GOOD at psychological creepiness. so sure, here characters are not the atypical tough-guy noir. but whats creepy? they are just like you and me. sort of. if you would murder, lie, cheat for what you want.

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Aug 29, 2009 Coalbanks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Better as a short story writer than a novelist? Maybe. She had the ability to create very true characters, many of them too sensitive or too coarse or too neurotic to allow the reader to be too comfortable with them. Which prooves her ability to create characters. I prefer her short stories & non-Ripley tales to the Ripley series which I have read & enjoyed for the most part but which have too much of an Ian Fleming or William Buckley flavour for my tastes, too blase & easy going abo...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Bo Trapnell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some pretty weird stories. Well-written but very unique

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Feb 19, 2013 Michael added it · review of another edition

An excellent collection.

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Dec 10, 2010 Lauri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Simply great.

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Jun 12, 2010 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Right before I left the UC, I made a new book-friend, Kathy, who shares my fondness for Highsmith, and she gave me this volume. The collection is pretty amazing, as it has a bunch of stuff I'd never seen or heard of before, a lot of it weird in the Highsmithiest of ways. Violent, short, etc...I can't bear to put it up on one of our tall bookshelves, so it's still sitting out, which must mean I want to read it all over again sometime soon.

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May 11, 2012 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars

rocky / uneven, but so so good

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Aug 05, 2008 Cher rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-stories

These short stories are each profoundly different from one another, yet complete worlds unto themselves. I find her discipline within the short story format to be much greater than with her novels. At least half the stories in this large collection took my very breath away.

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Aug 13, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories

I love short stories and these are amazing. I would have been nervous being friends with Highsmith; she sees right into one's dark, seamy psyche.

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May 28, 2012 Marcus with a C rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, english, 2012, crime, short-stories

Some of her short stories have an ending that doesn't mean anything or .... everything.

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Nov 10, 2008 Brian marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: in-queue

Nothing That Meets the Eye by Patricia Highsmith (2006)

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Feb 06, 2009 Lyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery, american-literature

Wonderful writer. Strange and engaging stories.

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Feb 23, 2007 k rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved some of these---she's good.

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Apr 12, 2013 rey rated it 5 of 5 stars

such polite tension

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Jan 07, 2011 Begoña rated it 3 of 5 stars

Higsmith and mysoginy.

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May 19, 2013 Chaitra marked it as to-read

Shelves: nytimes-notable-books

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About Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.

She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in...more Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.

She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.

Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.

Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.

In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.

Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan, plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.

She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."

She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.

Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010

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