•  The Stranger (1942), by Albert Camus, presents the author’s absurdist view of the nature of existence as it focuses on Meursault, an amoral young man who is tried for murder. The existentialist theme of the novel suggests that one must find personal dignity in an indifferent world.

•  In The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), Highsmith draws her readers into the world of seemingly ordinary Tom Ripley, who turns out to be a charming sociopath. The novel was made into a hit film in 1999.

•  Strangers on a Train, Highsmith’s 1950 thriller, focuses on another sociopath who passes as an ordinary man. This one tries to convince another man to exchange murders with him.

•  Nausea (1938), by Jean-Paul Sartre, is an important existentialist text. The story chronicles the experience of Antoine...