The Glass Cell is a psychological thriller

Psychological thriller

Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...

 novel by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short-story writer most widely known for her psychological thrillers, which led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times, notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951...

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Plot summary

A dark and disturbing novel about the effects of wrongful imprisonment

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

, the story sees Philip Carter, a sweet natured and naïve young man sentenced to six years in jail for fraud

Fraud

In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...

, a crime he did not commit. Upon his release, those who knew him best are shocked by the complete change in his personality; the gentle man they once knew has become a violent, drug-abusing

Drug abuse

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...

 depressive, so much so that restoring his faith in humanity could prove a struggle.

Literary significance and reception

Even now, over forty years after its initial publication, the themes of this novel are disconcertingly relevant. Highsmith employs strong overtones of Russian writers including Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....

, and the work was immensely well received by critics from across the spectrum.

A German film adaptation by the same name

The Glass Cell

The Glass Cell is a 1978 West German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.- Cast :* Helmut Griem: Phillip Braun* Brigitte Fossey: Lisa Braun* Dieter Laser: David Reinelt...

 was nominated for the 51st Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...

(1978).