Lord of the Flies by William Golding

“Maybe there is a beast…maybe it’s only us”

A plane crashes on an uninhabited island and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assemble on the beach and wait to be rescued. At first, the boys revel in the freedom of limited adult supervision but very quickly they realise that being rescued is increasingly unlikely.

The story revolves around the two main characters, Ralph & Jack. Ralph, as the elected leader of the group, is the personification of rational thought and tries to instill some sense of order during their stay on the island. Ralph realises it may be some time before they are rescued, and survival is, therefore, their priority. Jack, on the other hand, is the rebel, anti-establishment and leads a breakaway group towards primitive and savage behaviour that has devastating consequences for the boys.

Getting down to brass tacks, this story is about a battle between Jack and Ralph for leadership. It really is like a battle between good and evil, civilised and primitive, logic and emotion!

Simply put, I loved this book! I wasn’t sure that I would as it’s one of those books I’ve only heard of because it is widely read in schools and therefore I thought it couldn’t be up to much. But wow was I surprised.

This novel is chilling, emotional, sad and infuriating. It absolutely has all the feels and gives a frightening insight into what a world without rules could become and the devastating effects of propaganda based on fear.

You can buy Lord of the Flies by William Golding on Amazon, Wordery and Waterstones.