Rites Of Passage

Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies. He was also awarded the Booker Prize for literature in 1980 for his novel Rites of Passage, the first book of the trilogy To the Ends of the Earth.

The book is set at the end of the Napoleonic war era. In this novel the young protagonist, Edmund Talbot is keeping a detailed journal and account of his life onboard a ship voyage from England to Australia. Edmund is directing this account toward his wealthy godfather. He observes, with more than just a touch of cynicism and aloof superiority the microcosm coming to life around him. The reader is made to perceive how totally estranged from reality he is, from all practical things and the normal ways of the world while also noting the mounting tensions from the crew and passengers. He has to go through a rite of passage which shames him and makes him feel that it could define a part of his identity. Cleverly written with superior attention to detail, the reader will not be disappointed.