It may be that many of you have seen the famous film which was based on this infamous 1962 novel by Mr. Burgess. If not, and if you're not familiar with the book either, then strap in and hold on. You're about to embark upon a difficult and disturbing journey into the lives and minds of four disaffected youths, living in a future, dystopian Britain rife with nihilism and the degradation of society.
Alex, our main eyes and ears on this journey -- it is impossible to call the vile thug a protagonist --, seems to live, moment to moment, experience to experience. In an effort to stave off boredom, and to maintain his status as head of his little gang of youths, he leads them to acts of brutality which are as mindless as they are cruel. There's literally no level to which Alex and his crew will not stoop. And so, when the gang is busted up and Alex apprehended by the authorities, the reader feels a certain sense of satisfaction, that the world is being set right. But of course, this is where the true nightmare begins. Alex is subjected to a kind of cruel brainwashing which distorts his sense of pleasure and pain. But not only does the brainwashing de-claw him, it makes painful his one, true, innocent pleasure in life, music.
Though Mr. Burgess' plot is moving and disturbing, the extent to which he's able to seize our anger at Alex, twist it up and use it against us is the genius of the piece. The dialect Alex uses to narrate the tale is clever and affecting as well, but there was something powerful in feeling pity for such a vile creature. It takes a special kind of skill to pull off such a feat. Foulness aside -- and I do not think this book could've been any longer than its slim 190 pages without making me want to swallow razorblades --, I salute Mr. Burgess' literary craft. This is a difficult job done well. (3/5 Stars)
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