The Cry of the Owl

by Patricia Highsmith

Overview

In a small Pennsylvania town, Robert Forrester is recuperating from a nasty divorce and a bout of psychological trouble. One evening, while driving home, he sees a pretty young woman framed by her bright kitchen window. Soon, he can’t keep himself away. But when Robert is inevitably discovered, obsession is turned on its head, and he finds himself unable to shake the young woman, nor entirely sure whether he should. Recently made into a major motion picture starring Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine, The Cry of the Owl is essential Highsmith, a modern classic ready to be reborn.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802145154
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/12/2011
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	287,897
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) was an American author known for her novels of psychological suspense. She wrote over two dozen books and short story collections, including her five Tom Ripley novels. Her first book Strangers on a Train was nominated for an Edgar Award and was later adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock. Many of her works have been adapted for the screen, including The Talented Mr. Ripley and most recently The Price of Salt which was renamed Carol.

Date of Birth:

January 19, 1921

Date of Death:

February 4, 1995

Place of Birth:

Fort Worth, Texas

Place of Death:

Locarno, Switzerland

Education:

B.A., Barnard College, 1942

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Cry of the Owl

“Kafka with a vengeance.” —The Spectator (London)

“Highsmith generates suspense out of a different sort of fear: not the fear of death, which drives most crime-centered entertainment, but the pettier, more intimate dread of humiliation, of being caught on the street with nothing on....There’s something else here, hard to identify, pulling us along relentlessly, as thrillers do—an undertow, a surge of third-rail current.” —The New Yorker

“The Cry of the Owl is a deceptively easy stroll toward personal chaos and destruction. It is thoroughly chilling because nothing seems farfetched. Odd, yes, but believable. . . . The Cry of the Owl is creepy and unsettling, a taut psychological thriller.” —Detroit Free Press

“One of her lesser-known works … and one of her most unsettling. Which is saying plenty. … The crime writer Elmore Leonard has written a host of novels with the same basic plot: Plans go wrong. The story message driving all of Highsmith’s work is similarly simple and clear: We live on thin ice. Highsmith revolts some readers, yet hypnotizes many others. She’s sui generis, a writer of almost occult power.” —Richard Rayner, Los Angeles Times

“[A] sinister, moody psychological novel. … a dreadful atmosphere of growing menace lurks over the story as its damaged, emotionally disturbed characters interact and form dangerous, obsessive relationships. This is a Highsmith tour-de-force—a must read for those who’ve tested Highsmith territory with the Ripley novels. The Cry of the Owl moves with precision skill to its stunning conclusion.” —MostlyFiction

From the Publisher