‘Carol’ (originally published as ‘The Price of Salt’) by Patricia Highsmith is a novel about the relationship between Therese Belivet and Carol Aird. The story was inspired by a woman Patricia Highsmith served in a department store in 1948 when she was working there.
Young Therese is working in a department store during the Christmas season when the slightly older Carol steps into the doll department and buys a doll for her daughter from Therese. Therese decides to send Carol a Christmas card—and they begin to spend time together.
I had bought this book a while ago. Then I had learned that Patricia Highsmith was an outspoken anti-Semite and a racist and I hesitated to read it. The book is brilliant (and the plot particularly progressive for the time the book was published!), but the author’s beliefs make it difficult to enjoy.
Comments