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Small g: A Summer Idyll
Patricia Highsmith
Norton Hardcover, 310pp $24.95
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Completed shortly before Highsmith's death in 1995, her final novel opens with the assault and murder of Rickie Markwalder's boyfriend, Pete, near Zurich on a January night. No one is apprehended, and Rickie is heartbroken and angry amid a swirl of nasty rumors started by local dressmaker Renate, a homophobe with a club foot. Jump ahead to the summer: Rickie has begun to move on with his life, throwing himself into his advertising and design work and resuming his daily visits to Jakob's, a pub/restaurant that is the village hub (travel guides mark it with a small G for "gay friendly;" thus the title). There, he runs into Renate, her apprentice, Luisa; and Renate's cohort, Willi, among other regulars. He has little success with romance until Teddie enters Jakob's one evening and shakes up his routine forever. While Teddie is grateful for Rickie's attention and kindness, he falls as hard for Luisa as Rickie falls for him. The characters in this triangle go after what each desires, following a convoluted path of attraction, romance, and jealousy that reveals the power of friendship when attraction isn't reciprocated or romance wanes. As Highsmith did in her Ripley series, she exposes the pettiness, greed, and selfishness as well as the kindness, compassion, and selflessness of her characters. A powerful and mesmerizing read; highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Lisa Nussbaum, Dauphin Cty. Lib. Syst., Harrisburg, PA MD Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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