'Pincher Martin' by William Golding - A review.

Pincher Martin did not continuously enthral me, but I still enjoyed it on an academic level. Despite occasionally feeling confused by the narrative and not relating to the protagonist, I nevertheless found myself being drawn in to the story and I wanted to discover what would eventually happen to Christopher 'Pincher' Martin. The first chapter of Pincher Martin is very disorienting. It is almost written in the form of stream of conscious, and I initially …

…more interesting, book. With the benefit of hindsight, it is easier to clearly understand the complexities of the narrative, and to pick up on the 'clues' and references that were missed the first time round. Whilst reading the book anew, rather than feeling desperation and urgency for Pincher's predicament, I simply felt pity and sorrow for him. I no longer wanted him to fight for survival, but urged him to accept defeat, and ultimately, death.