Switzerland
by Joanna Murray-smith

Name: Switzerland
Brand: Joanna Murray-smith
SKU: 9780822234357
Rating: 3.87 (45 reviews)

Switzerland Book Cover — Switzerland Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

Unit Set/Multiple SettingsAmerican Mystery

What readers are saying

Readers are intrigued by the play's exploration of Patricia Highsmith, particularly in light of an upcoming film adaptation. Many appreciate the complexity of the characters, though some feel it lacks depth and significance without prior knowledge of Highsmith's work. The concise format is noted positively, helping to keep the pacing engaging.

Intriguing character explorationStrong performance by Helen MirrenCompact and engaging formatLacks depth for unfamiliar audiencesHeavy-handed writing

Synopsis

THE STORY: Somewhere in the Swiss Alps, grande dame of crime literature Patricia Highsmith lives with an impressive collection of books, and a somewhat sinister collection of guns and knives.

She finds solace in her solitude, her cats, and cigarettes.

But when a mysterious international visitor arrives at her perfectly secluded home, her love of fictional murders becomes a dangerous reality.

Press Reviews

"Writers of crime fiction are rarely as brutal or twisted as the characters they create. But meet Patricia Highsmith, by general agreement a foul-mouthed misanthrope who spent decades detailing the psychotic narcissism lurking in humanity’s dark heart…SWITZERLAND will likely send spectators giddily speeding back to such novels as Strangers on a Train and…The Talented Mr. Ripley."
— Variety

"SWITZERLAND [is] an act of homage by way of larceny, appropriating Highsmith the real person as a fictional character in one of her own queasy dramas. The play hinges on an irresistible conceit…Murray-Smith has great fun emulating Highsmith’s terse, caustic register…SWITZERLAND is obviously an act of identification: one writer wrestling with a creation wrestling with her most famous creation of all."
— The Hollywood Reporter