The glass cell
By: by Patricia Highsmith ; introduction by Joan Schenkar
Series: Virago modern classics -- 4
Published: 2014
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9780349004969; 9780349004952
Subjects: Triangles (Interpersonal relations); Fiction; Man-woman relationships; Prisoners; Ex-convicts; Judicial error
Description: In 1961, Patricia Highsmith received a fan letter from a prison inmate. A correspondence ensued between author and inmate, and Highsmith became fascinated with the psychological traumas that incarceration can inflict. Based on a true story, 'The glass cell' is Highsmith's fictionalization of everything she learned. Falsely convicted of fraud, the easy-going but naive Philip Carter is sent to prison. Despite his devotion to Hazel, his wife, and the support of David Sullivan, a lawyer and friend who tries to avenge the injustice done to him, Carter endures six lonely and drug-ravaged years. Upon his release, Carter is a much more discerning, suspicious, and violent man. For those around him, earning back his trust can mean the difference between life and death.