The Black House

Horrific tragedy becomes disturbingly ordinary in The Black House, a masterful collection of short stories, written during a particularly dark time in Patricia Highsmith's life. As readers will discover, the work eerily evokes the warm familiarities of suburban life: the manicured lawns, the white picket fences, and the local pubs, each providing the backbone for her chilling portraits. Seemingly small indiscretions and infidelities--along with love affairs and murder--consume the characters that commit them. Cycles of destructive jealousy overwhelm the cheating protagonists of "Blow It" and "When in Rome," and the title story explores small-town male camaraderie and the destructive secret it masks. This enthralling collection of eleven stories presents Highsmith at her finest: melancholy, suspenseful, and sizzling with a powerful awareness of human emotion.

Author: Patricia Highsmith
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 12/01/2004
Pages: 270
Weight: 0.51lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.48w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780393326314

About the Author
Highsmith, Patricia: - Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) was the author of more than twenty novels, including The Price of Salt and The Talented Mr. Ripley, as well as numerous short stories.