Highsmith fits the bits and pieces of an obsession into place by taking us into the mind of a man who refuses to acknowledge that the woman he loves does not love him. He builds a life founded on the fantasy that she will leave her husband and join him in the house he bought and furnished to her supposed taste. A close reading of the text reveals past events that led to the break-up of the youthful romance, but David can justify his hesitation then and his determination now to be forceful. The supporting characters are as complex as the protagonist,and all in all this is one of several stories that claim the reader's full attention. Highsmith's writing is ueven, but when a plot is well developed it is utterly spellbinding.