MICRO-REVIEW: Eleven

Eleven is a collection of short stories written by one of the most iconic female authors of the crime fiction genre, the American Patricia Highsmith. The anthology is prologued by another top crime writer, Graham Greene, who juxtaposes the Highsmithian universe with that of the classics, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. He writes: "This is a world without moral endings. It has nothing in common with the heroic world of her peers, Hammett and Chandler, and her detectives (...) have nothing in common with the romantic and disillusioned private eyes who will always, we know, triumph over evil and see that justice is done". This is an accurate description of Highsmith's literary world and characters and this is the most appropriate context to have in mind when reading those dark, often borderline disturbing, short stories. I enjoyed most "The Snail-Watcher", "The Terrapin", and "The Heroine". If you are a Highsmith fan this is a must for you.