The Terrapin

"The Terrapin" is a short story by Patricia Highsmith. Based on the difficult relationship Highsmith had with her own mother, the story revolves around a young boy, Victor, who is emotionally abused by his difficult, haughty mother, an illustrator of children's books.

The terrapin of the title, a small tortoise purchased by his mother for cooking, suffers an agonizing death when she drops it into the boiling pan. This event pushes Victor over the edge—he believes he heard it scream—and during the night he butchers his mother with a kitchen knife. The story ends while he is being examined by doctors in a psychiatric hospital.

The short story is mentioned in the 2023 film Perfect Days.

Accolades

• 1963 : Nominee, Edgar Allan Poe Award, Best Short Story, Mystery Writers of America (in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)
• 1963 : Special Award, Mystery Writers of America