A Clockwork Orange (2005)

By Anthony Burgess
I wanted to read this book because I decided it was high time I read the real thing and not rely only on the Mad Magazine version of the film by Stanley Kubrick. (Interesting fact: the film is based on the US edition of novel, which did not include the semi-redemptive last chapter). I imagine most people are familiar with the premise – Alex, a very violent teenager, undergoes treatment while in prison that makes him physically unable to commit violence in any way. In a word, this book is confronting – mostly for its straightforward descriptions of “ultraviolence”, including bashing and gang rape. It is not written in a voyeuristic manner, a la Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, just as it happens, from the point of view of one of the perpetrators, who clearly enjoys what he is doing. So, maybe two words: confronting, and disturbing.

It is also, though, a deeply interesting book, leaving the reader with a lot to think about at the end. The central question the novel presents (and I know this because I read it in the introductory essay afterwards) is this: is it better to choose to be wicked than to be forced to be good? I guess central to any code of conduct, religious or otherwise, when we really think about it, is the concept of choice. I remember someone once telling me that Brenda was the only really interesting character on Beverly Hills 90210 because you could see her deciding to be a good person from episode to episode, rather than automatically being one, like all the rest of them, although the assertion that the gang at the Peach Pit were “good” people may have come under fire from the book reviewer in the St James’s Gazette of 1890.

But that is another story…also interesting was Burgess’ depiction of society’s conflicting attitudes to violence: all agree that Alex’s acts of violence are reprehensible, but then embrace violence as part of his punishment. There is as much violence in prison, in this novel, than out of it, and not all of it is committed by fellow inmates – a bit like how in every cop show these days the cops threaten pretty young men into confessions by reminding them of the atrocities against their persons that they can expect in prison. Now, I’m not past a bit of the old “eye for an eye” myself, but I found this book (intentionally or not) quite a strong argument against vengeance. Mind you, all this does not solve the problem of how we should punish people who commit violent crimes, which is a topic too large for a humble book review, I suppose.

The last thing to say about this novel is that Burgess’ use of language is truly astounding – if a little hard to decipher at times. I wonder if Moloko the band took their name from Alex’s word for “milk”?

Read this novel when you’re feeling strong, but do read it.

Rating: 9 out of 10
For being a powerful and original piece of writing, but not really because the reading of it was enjoyable.