The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery (1969) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith.[1]
Synopsis
American author Howard Ingham arrives in the sweltering heat of Tunisia, so he can draw inspiration for a new movie script he's been commissioned to write. However, when the director he's working with doesn't show, he begins hearing stories from back home about infidelity and suicide. Rather than abandon the project and leave, Howard stays in the country and starts work on a novel instead. He gets to know Francis J. Adams, an aging American propagandist and Danish homosexual painter Anders Jensen. While waiting for a letter from his New York girlfriend Ina, the plot of his projected novel comes together. It's the story of a banker who forges documents to steal money he then gives to poor people. One night, Ingham finds someone breaking into his apartment and throws his typewriter at the intruder, who is then dragged away by others. Ingham struggles to keep this possible murder secret from his acquaintances while at the same time questioning western morality and its worth in a country where he is a stranger.
Reception
Highsmith has produced work as serious in its implications and as subtle in its approach as anything being done in the novel today. - Julian Symons
Miss Highsmith's finest novel to my mind is The Tremory of Forgery, and if I were to be asked what it is about I would reply, 'Apprehension'. - Graham Greene
References
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