Darkness Visible

by William Golding

Book Overview

A dazzlingly dark novel by the Nobel Laureate. At the height of the London blitz, a naked child steps out of an all-consuming fire. Miraculously saved yet hideously scarred, tormented at school and at work, Matty becomes a wanderer, a seeker after some unknown redemption. Two more lost children await him: twins as exquisite as they are loveless. Toni dabbles in political violence, Sophy in sexual tyranny. As Golding weaves their destinies together,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374135029
• ISBN13: 9780374135027
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 265 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Inspirational study of human nature

I actually received this book in error (my error) but was drawn to the title and read it anyway. I was stunned at the grace and clarity in which it moved in view of the dense and thought provoking subject matter. It will rest on the top of my book shelf, along with the other life changing novels.

terrifying glimpse into the sociopathic mind

i don't know if there's ever been a character as scary as young Sophy Stanhope. Watching her "flower" is especially disturbing as it's made plausible by hearing the thoughts insider her head.

More Than Just "Visible" Darkness

Best known for his how-to-survive-amongst-prim-and-proper-turned-savage-children-on-a-stranded-island guide, "Lord of the Flies", Golding published a much more sinister and perhaps even more relevant work in 1979, "Darkness Visible." Though groundbreaking in its own right, Lord of the Flies took a sense of content that could legitimately appeal to all audiences without any tongue-in-cheek aspect to it---this book, however, not only cross that line, but spits on it when it passes by. The story revolves mainly around two people: a World War II damaged boy, Matty, and Sophy, a young girl whose twin suddenly disappears one day, leaving her to grow up on her own without the presence of the other half that had been such a force in her upbringing. Golding, after presenting the two characters and their backgrounds, weaves an intricate plot of terrorism, drugs, sexual depravity, violence, and spirituality using both of them together unwittingly in many of the same events that affect their lives. Yes, as the other reviewers said and as the editors' reviews noted, this is definitely a weird book, so if you can't stomach it, don't buy the book.. What with the deviant tendencies (take your pick---an implied child molester, a drug dealer, a dominatrix, a chess master who seems to have a new wife/mother for his children daily) of the personalities of the people Golding forms, one can easily be tempted to laugh this one off as a wannabe shocker with no real substance---but it's not. I'd rank this up with the best of his works, hands down---there is intelligence, mellifluous imagery, cleverness, wit and humor galore, a sense of cynicism, but overall, incredible creativity and prose in Darkness Visible. It may be a difficult book to get through at times because of the way it is set up and the changes in its style at random, but if you're looking for something different that will challenge some of your thinking and implant in you a different perspective on a lot of things going on in our world, don't pass it up.

A wildly imaginative parable about madness and terrorism.

Golding is in top form in this story about the gradual descent into terrorism by twin siisters; and an unlikely "savior" that comes in the form of a man deformed by a bombing raid. Again, Golding proves that creating a mystery amidst thoughtful social critcism leads to a great and imaginiative story. It is dark, strange and stays with you for weeks.

An excellent perspective on how to rate the value of life

Golding's vision of mans dark side and how the fight between good and evil is won by restraint.In order to get the whole picture the reader needs to submerge into the lifes of all the characters and then pull back away from it all. First then it is possible to see the story and how it unfolds. It is complex and requires patience but the reward is worth it and can be rather refreshing.I do recommend it