A review by benjfleck
The Two Faces of January by Patricia Highsmith
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Two Faces of January: Or, Three's Company in Greece!
Chester MacFarland and his younger wife, Colette, have arrived in Athens, Greece for a vacation. Or so it seems on the surface. Rydal Keener, a young American with nothing better to do, decides to get involved in their lives. Unfortunately for both sides, Chester and Rydal are both con men, looking for money, power, and emotional validation and what follows is a very odd and very uncomfortable game of cat and mouse that at times I struggled to make sense of.
Without saying too much to spoil the novel, I never could wrap my head around why Rydal continued to travel with Chester and his wife and why Chester and his wife allowed Rydal to travel with them?!? All the mess that follows could have very easily been avoided. Do people really trust strangers this much? Especially on vacation??!
Besides the very hard logic bump that I tried to get over, Patricia Highsmith once again writes a novel with descriptive prose and compelling (yet irrational) characters who are complex, deep, and troubled. It was interesting enough, but definitely not her best novel. It almost just felt like, oh get it over with already cause this game is getting tiresome. I did enjoy the Grecian setting though.
Chester MacFarland and his younger wife, Colette, have arrived in Athens, Greece for a vacation. Or so it seems on the surface. Rydal Keener, a young American with nothing better to do, decides to get involved in their lives. Unfortunately for both sides, Chester and Rydal are both con men, looking for money, power, and emotional validation and what follows is a very odd and very uncomfortable game of cat and mouse that at times I struggled to make sense of.
Without saying too much to spoil the novel, I never could wrap my head around why Rydal continued to travel with Chester and his wife and why Chester and his wife allowed Rydal to travel with them?!? All the mess that follows could have very easily been avoided. Do people really trust strangers this much? Especially on vacation??!
Besides the very hard logic bump that I tried to get over, Patricia Highsmith once again writes a novel with descriptive prose and compelling (yet irrational) characters who are complex, deep, and troubled. It was interesting enough, but definitely not her best novel. It almost just felt like, oh get it over with already cause this game is getting tiresome. I did enjoy the Grecian setting though.