Editors Reads Verdict
A precise psychological study of two men who reflect each other across the guilty/innocent line — Highsmith's Double theme at its most concentrated.
What We Loved
- The mutual obsession between Stackhouse and Kimmel is brilliantly sustained
- The psychological doubling is as precise as anything in her career
- Kimmel is an extraordinary creation — sinister, intelligent, wronged
Minor Drawbacks
- Less celebrated than her major works but unfairly so
- Walter's passivity can frustrate
Key Takeaways
- → The Double as Highsmith's central subject — two men who are versions of each other
- → Guilt without act; obsession without crime
- → The detective-figure as more sinister than the supposed criminal
| Author | Patricia Highsmith |
|---|---|
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Pages | 256 |
| Published | January 1, 1954 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime Fiction, Psychological Thriller |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Best For | Highsmith fans; readers of psychological crime fiction |
Walter Stackhouse is a lawyer in an unhappy marriage, the kind of man who fantasizes about escape without taking any steps toward it. He follows in the newspaper the case of Melchior Kimmel, a bookseller accused — but acquitted — of murdering his wife by pushing her in front of a bus. Kimmel is guilty, Walter is certain. He becomes obsessed with how it was done.
When Walter’s wife dies in a bus accident — genuinely an accident, as far as we can tell — Kimmel appears. He has read about the case; he recognises in Walter someone who knows his secret; and he begins to investigate Walter with the focused intelligence of a man who wants company in guilt. The novel becomes a study in the terrifying logic of mutual recognition: two men who are reflections of each other, one guilty of what the other only imagined.
The Blunderer is the third novel and the first full elaboration of what would become Highsmith’s defining theme: the doubling of two men across the line of an act, the contamination of the innocent by the guilty, and the sinister possibility that the man who never committed a crime may be more culpable than the man who did.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Blunderer" about?
Walter Stackhouse reads in the newspaper about the case of Melchior Kimmel, a bookseller accused of staging his wife's death as a bus accident. Walter, trapped in his own unhappy marriage, becomes obsessed with Kimmel's method. When his wife subsequently dies in similar circumstances, Kimmel turns the tables — he begins investigating Walter with the intensity of someone who recognises a mirror image.
Who should read "The Blunderer"?
Highsmith fans; readers of psychological crime fiction
What are the key takeaways from "The Blunderer"?
The Double as Highsmith's central subject — two men who are versions of each other Guilt without act; obsession without crime The detective-figure as more sinister than the supposed criminal
Is "The Blunderer" worth reading?
A precise psychological study of two men who reflect each other across the guilty/innocent line — Highsmith's Double theme at its most concentrated.
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