Pincher Martin: Introduced by Marlon James By William Golding

Christopher 'Pincher' Martin is blown from the bridge of his navy ship and struggles in the tumult of the ocean for survival. The massive lashing force of the sea threatens to consume him, but he sights a spit of boulders, and clambers onto it. He comes to realise where he is the tiny isolated rock in the North Atlantic that only appears on the weather charts. This rock is clearly based on the real islet of Rockall, which is one of the most isolated godforsaken places on earth. Miles and miles from the nearest land, with slender chance of rescue, Martin embarks on a survival mission. He drinks water from a tiny pool, eats weeds and sea anemones for sustenance, and talks to himself to keep his consciousness going. Piece by piece, he begins to construct the picture of who he is and what he has become. Martin is revealed to be an awful figure, an aggressive and selfish sexual predator who before his blast from the bridge was planning to kill a rival suitor. Golding writes Martin to be a throughly unappealing man, who nevertheless encapsulates a hard and bitter essence of our nature.

In hard packed, spare and salty prose, Pincher Martin is a supremely elegant and harsh short novel. Mingling themes of existentialism, psychology and survival, it is in the line of Robinson Crusoe literature that cuts us adrift from our self enclosed humanist bearings and forces us to inhabit a world we won't forget easily. The trick ending will surprise many, and force the reader to consider again Golding's big and portentous ideas about consciousness and human striving. William Golding Intensely written and intensely boring. Best thing about it is its short.
Obviously a very difficult writing task a difficult reading one, too. And I defy anyone to figure out the ending for themselves. Hence the afterword. William Golding This is an astonishing read about a lone survivor and sailor in the Battle of Atlantic who seeks to survive on a small rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean during World War 2. It is a remarkable short and punchy novel about one mans fight for survival alone against the elements and his battle to stay sane and healthy on a tiny outcrop of rock in the Atlantic. Probably one of William Golding's best novels. It is frightening and at the same time gripping and inspirational and shows a humans will and ability to survive against the odds. Shocking, beautifully crafted and written and very unusual. Read it and imagine what it must have been like for survivors of torpedoed ships in the Battle of the Atlantic in their struggle to survive the Cruel Sea. William Golding saw action in The Navy in World War 2 on a destroyer in the war against German Submarines so had first hand experience of the Atlantic War at sea. Read it alongside the Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monserrat. Both brilliant novels.Highly recommended. William Golding Meet Christopher Hadley ‘Pincher’ Martin, temporary lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Blown off his ship by a German torpedo. Alone.

Usually, when I write a book review, I try to give some sense of what the book is about, where it is set, and how I reacted to it. Most books lend themselves to this approach if, mindful of spoilers (for fiction), I avoid too much detail.

Alas, ‘Pincher Martin’ is not in the category of ‘most books’. It’s a book best read without knowing anything about the story. It’s a book to read, to think about, and then (in my case at least) to reread. Mr Golding achieved something quite extraordinary in this (comparatively) short novel: we are in Pincher Martin’s mind, and it’s an unforgettable journey. It’s worth taking the time to read it.

Jennifer Cameron Smith William Golding William Golding's debut novel, William Golding

Free read Pincher Martin: Introduced by Marlon James

Experience a shipwrecked sailors psychic disintegration into a naked madman on a rock by the radical Nobel Laureate and author of Lord of the Flies.

An hour on this rock is a lifetime.

Glistening limpets. The claws of a lobster. Wild tangles of seaweed. Slowly, his eyes open. Everywhere, there is sea. Only this jagged peak interrupts the vast expanse of the Atlantic: a tooth in a gaping jaw. But he will survive. Rainwater can be drunk; anemones eaten. He dries his oilskin beneath the screaming gulls, and discovers his papers: Christopher Hadley Martin, TY. Lieut., R.N.V.R. Weathering lightning strikes of memory, he must now reconstruct his fate piece by terrible piece.

Devastating Violently real The unique kind of novel that compels you to reread it. Marlon James

Wizardry of the first order. Observer

Terrifying. Magnificently original. Sylvia Plath

An amazing tour de force A blow by blow struggle for survival. Stephen Spender

Immense To read it is to undergo a shattering and memorable experience. Kingsley Amis

A master fabulist An iconoclast. John Fowles Pincher Martin: Introduced by Marlon James

Reading this novel was tantamount to dressing in the dark and realizing, when the light turns on, that you did so perfectly. The end is worth the journey of insanity and solitude that plagues the titular castaway William Golding William Golding is one of my favorite writers of the 20th century. Enough said William Golding First read it decades ago and enjoyed it. Interesting premise an I know it's considered a classic, but second time around it just seemed a tedious read. William Golding One of my favourite books of all time. I won't give away anything. I read it immediately twice because I did not understand the ending and then a third time to figure out why I did not. I use it now while helping others who are learning English as it is a complex story and very entertaining. It opened up a door of whole different types of stories William Golding This is my first time reading Golding. This is an excellent novel, with deep philosophical implications. I cannot recommend it highly enough. William Golding