Carol - Patricia Highsmith

This story is based on Patricia Highsmith's own attraction to (and subsequent minor stalking of) a woman she saw at a department store. Her greatest accomplishment here is the believability with which she details 19 year-old Therese's anxiety and eventual acceptance of her identity. This is what sets the novel above the 'lesbian pulp' genre it was lumped in with upon its release. Highsmith wasn't able to convince her usual publishers to print the book, reportedly because they took issue with the fact that the ending wasn't unhappy enough to effectively condemn the actions of the characters.

My edition of the book is covered with claims that it's "the scandalous novel that anticipated Nabokov's Lolita." The only thing I found truly shocking is how long it took Therese to figure out why she can't seem to muster much enthusiasm for her sweet would-be boyfriend but harbours overwhelming emotions for a moody 30-something woman. In 1951, however, these things weren't discussed with appropriate honesty. Although much of the book is surprisingly relevant to present-day issues of sexuality and society, its strongest statement may be as an indication of progress in being able to talk about these sorts of things. [Erik Hinzpeter]