Orlion reviewed Pincher Martin by William Golding
Review of 'Pincher Martin' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
A few months back I had found out that William Golding had won the Nobel Prize in Literature. I was something of a nice surprise for me, having been exposed to his Lord of the Flies in high school like most students in the American Post Secondary Education System. Unlike many of these students I had actually read and enjoyed it.
It seemed unjust to me that this Freshman effort of a recognized writer should be my only experience and callow to call it his magnum opus. Golding had obviously written more works of such a caliber to be nominated (and won) the prestigious Nobel, I should seek out more of his work!
The world does not share my views, and for a while I could find nothing but Lord of the Flies in the book shops. I persevered and found six of his other books in various secondhand markets. …
A few months back I had found out that William Golding had won the Nobel Prize in Literature. I was something of a nice surprise for me, having been exposed to his Lord of the Flies in high school like most students in the American Post Secondary Education System. Unlike many of these students I had actually read and enjoyed it.
It seemed unjust to me that this Freshman effort of a recognized writer should be my only experience and callow to call it his magnum opus. Golding had obviously written more works of such a caliber to be nominated (and won) the prestigious Nobel, I should seek out more of his work!
The world does not share my views, and for a while I could find nothing but Lord of the Flies in the book shops. I persevered and found six of his other books in various secondhand markets. Pincer Martin was the first I had found, so I decided it would be the first that I read.
Pincer Martin is no where near as accessible as Lord of the Flies. It stars and centers mostly on a ship-wrecked sailor (Christopher Martin) and is set on a small rock in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. It is told in mostly through third-person stream of conscious that reflects the confused mental state of Martin. He is alone on the island, only joined by seagulls and the memories of his sins. His one goal is to survive, but nature and his own inimical, fragile psyche threaten this goal.
Difficult in style and theme, the novel definitely delivers an interesting view on its subject matter. It is a thought provoking, and somewhat sleep-robbing, fable on the nature of man and the consequences of the actions we choose. To say anything more would be inconsequential for those who have not read it.