Review Detail

This was a re-read. Enjoyed it more than ever. Perhaps 'enjoyed' isn't the right word. I appreciated its wisdom and its status as a masterpiece more than ever. Especially now that I'm a parent, I was deeply disturbed by this narrative and its assertions about humanity and the nature of evil. So chilling. So plausible. This isn't to say that I think William Golding accurately portrayed how boys would act when abandoned on a desert island. Many people hate this book because they don't find it plausible. They miss the point. This story is valuable because it adds to the debate about the nature of good and evil within humankind. It's a vehicle for exploring a theory about human nature, not an attempt to forecast actual behavior at such a small resolution. 10 groups of boys would act 10 different ways if they were actually left to themselves in such a scenario. I'm sure Golding would concede this point. Those who fault this novel at that level have completely failed to recognize its power.

I could write volumes about this book. Indeed, many people have. I'll leave my thoughts at this surface level, for now; I couldn't possibly do this story justice with the small amount of time and brain space I can afford it presently. I'm sure my own writing reflects my views on this story better than I can articulate them in an essay; THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, is, after all, a story about a society suddenly isolated and abandoned.

I'll attempt to sum up my praise very succinctly by imploring: if you only read ten books in your life, please make this one of them; we should all be exposed to and aware of Golding's perspective on human nature in this masterful work, regardless of if we are ultimately inclined to support or reject his assertions.