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''The Boy Who Followed Ripley'' is a 1980 psychological thriller by
Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novel ...
, the fourth in her series about career criminal
Tom Ripley Thomas Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by American novelist Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. He is a career criminal, con artist, and serial killer who always gets away with his crimes. The fi ...
. In this book, Ripley continues living quietly on his French estate, Belle Ombre, only obliquely involved in criminal activity. His idyll is shaken when he meets a teenaged boy who is hiding from the police.


Plot summary

A 16-year-old American boy calling himself Billy approaches
Tom Ripley Thomas Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by American novelist Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. He is a career criminal, con artist, and serial killer who always gets away with his crimes. The fi ...
in the French village near the latter's residence, asking for a job. Ripley agrees to give him a small amount of gardening work and puts him up in the guest room, but believes that he recognizes the youth from a newspaper. Further investigation reveals that "Billy" is actually Frank Pierson, the son of a recently deceased American tycoon who has fled the United States. Frank soon confesses to Ripley that he murdered his father by pushing him off a cliff. Ripley recognizes a
kindred spirit Kindred Spirit(s) may refer to: Arts * ''Kindred Spirits'' (film), a 1984 Australian film * ''Kindred Spirits'' (2019 film), a 2019 film by Lucky McKee * ''Kindred Spirits'' (painting), a painting by Asher Brown Durand, a member of the Hudson R ...
in Frank, discovering that he deliberately sought him out for advice after learning of his questionable reputation. Ripley commissions a false
passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
for Frank and they travel to
West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
, where they stay with a friend of Ripley's erstwhile partner in crime, Reeves Minot. Frank is kidnapped while strolling through a wooded area in West Berlin. Ripley communicates with the Pierson family and with a private detective they have sent to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. The Piersons wire the ransom to West Berlin, and Ripley takes it to an appointed drop-off point where he impulsively kills one of the kidnappers. The other three drive off. Ripley returns with the money and arranges a rendezvous at a gay bar, which he infiltrates by dressing in drag. He identifies the kidnappers, who again leave empty-handed, and follows them back to the flat where they are keeping the boy. Ripley scares the amateur thugs into dashing out of the apartment, and he single-handedly rescues the semi-conscious hostage. Ripley then returns the money back to the Piersons' banks, encourages Frank to return to his family in Kennebunkport, and accompanies him there. Despite Ripley's coaching and reassurances, Frank is overwhelmed by guilt as well as by his unrequited love for a teenaged girl named Teresa, and eventually commits suicide by throwing himself over the same cliff from which he pushed his father. Shaken and, much to his own surprise, saddened by Frank's death, Ripley returns to Belle Ombre after securing a former possession of the boy's as a memento.


Major themes

Highsmith sets the novel against the oppressive atmosphere of
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
Germany, and the
hedonism Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decr ...
of West Berlin, in particular the gay bar scene. Ripley tolerates — and sympathizes with — the gay characters he encounters, in contrast to the self-loathing he felt due to his attraction to Dickie Greenleaf in '' The Talented Mr Ripley''. Ripley's efforts in protecting Frank, and that stealing the ransom money does not even occur to him, indicate a form of emotionless compassion lacking in the character's behaviour in earlier books.


Adaptations


Radio

The 2009
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
adaptation stars Ian Hart as Ripley,
Nicholas Hoult Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (born 7 December 1989) is an English actor. His List of roles and awards of Nicholas Hoult, body of work includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in Independent film, independent p ...
as Frank and
Helen Longworth Helen Longworth (born 11 December 1976 in Preston, Lancashire) is a British actress. She has appeared in many radio plays including playing the character of Zofia in six series of ''On Mardle Fen'', Susie Dean in ''The Good Companions'' and Mari ...
as Heloise.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy Who Followed Ripley, The 1980 American novels Novels by Patricia Highsmith Heinemann (publisher) books Patricide in fiction Novels about serial killers Novels set in Berlin Novels set in France Novels set in New England Novels set in Paris