The Talented Mr. Ripley (Ripley, #1)

by Patricia Highsmith

If there was any sensation he hated, it was that of being followed, by anybody. And lately he had it all the time.

“Men! You have all the luck. Nothing like that could ever happen to a girl. Men’re so free!”

Nothing he took desperately seriously ever worked out.

I sincerely hope the trip has afforded you some pleasure despite the failure of its main objective.

All right, he may not be queer. He’s just a nothing, which is worse.

This was the real annihilation of his past and of himself, Tom Ripley, who was made up of that past, and his rebirth as a completely new person.

you’re a victim of your own dirty mind.”

But that was the advantage of Europe, he thought. Nobody helped anybody, nobody meddled. If this had been America—

Everything was fine. Tom tried to reason himself out of the hangover,

Anticipation! It occurred to him that his anticipation was more pleasant to him than his experiencing.

At any rate, I hope my telling you what you hadn’t the courage to tell me relieves your conscience a little bit and lets you hold your head up.