The Magus by John Fowles
The Magus tells the story of Nicholas Urfe, a young Englishman who ends his relationship with an Australian woman, Alison, to take a job teaching in an English school on a Greek Island. In that idyllic setting he meets Conchis, a rich, mysterious, somewhat sinister figure who, with the help of several accomplices, leads him through an increasingly tangled web of games, masques, hallucinations, puzzles, confused identities, and ultimately a mock trial.
The Magus is quite long. But Fowles writes well, parts of the book are beautiful, and I wasn't bored. Nevertheless as I followed the numerous twists in the story, the shifting identities, the concealed motives and plans, the mystery of who was telling the truth or even who was who, I found it all increasingly unconvincing, and by the time I finished it I wasn't at all sure what the point of it all had been. Perhaps I'm wrong to look for some kind of resolution. Despite my slight dissatisfaction at the end, I would not discourage anyone from reading the book. It will hold your interest and take you on a remarkable journey.
The Magus is quite long. But Fowles writes well, parts of the book are beautiful, and I wasn't bored. Nevertheless as I followed the numerous twists in the story, the shifting identities, the concealed motives and plans, the mystery of who was telling the truth or even who was who, I found it all increasingly unconvincing, and by the time I finished it I wasn't at all sure what the point of it all had been. Perhaps I'm wrong to look for some kind of resolution. Despite my slight dissatisfaction at the end, I would not discourage anyone from reading the book. It will hold your interest and take you on a remarkable journey.