The Price of Salt is the first lesbian novel with a happy ending (Tolkin, 8). Ultimately, they find their way back to each other and live happily ever after. Carol decides to part ways with Therese, but eventually, she realizes that she cannot live without Therese. The book follows their love story as they continue to spend more time together, but when Carol’s husband grows suspicious, Carol and Therese’s relationship is placed in jeopardy in addition to Carol’s custody rights of her daughter.

This novel depicts the story of Therese, a department store worker who is unsatisfied with her current boyfriend, and Carol, a customer who is married and has a daughter. Highsmith finally took ownership of The Price of Salt because she got to see the reaction to the rumors about her authorship of the novel and she felt like she had nothing to lose. Still fearful for her job and reputation, Highsmith didn’t publish the novel under her own name until 1991. The novel was published a second time in 1984, still under the name Claire Morgan, even though Naiad Press would have given Highsmith more than twice the money if she published under her own name.

In the 1950s, millions of readers were able to feel connected to this story and have hope in the outcome. Recently famous for her novel, Strangers on a Train, that was released in 1951, Highsmith interestingly chose to distance her name from The Price of Salt and didn’t publish it under her own name until 1991. The Price of Salt is a lesbian love story written by Patricia Highsmith that was first published under the pseudonym Claire Morgan in 1952. Patricia Highsmith and her story through the editions of The Price of Salt

The price of salt