Monday 30 September 2013

The Magus by John Fowles

" She rubbed the insides of her wrists together; grinned again and shrugged, as if one madness more was immaterial."

A young English teacher leaves his Australian girlfriend to take up a post at a school on a Greek island. His interactions with the enigmatic Maurice, the twins (June & Julie - or Lily & Rose) make for a strange and captivating tale that certainly held my attention for the entire 600+ pages.
 
This is not the kind of novel that follows an easy to follow plot driven narrative, yet that does little to detract from its intrigue. Who is playing mind games with Nicholas, what is going on, who is dead, who is alive and who is real?
 
The writing is a delight and well deserving of its inclusion on a number of must read lists. A strange and usual story that moves from school to blue movies, to yachts and Nazis - quite a wide gamut.
 
5 out of 5, I'd like to escape to an island, maybe not one with strange psychological experimentation.


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