Brighton Rock: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

This novel could be seen as a forerunner of "A Clockwork Orange". The thread of intimidation and violence works nicely at odds with the vanished seafront world of 1930s Brighton and its seedy hotels, piers, bars. In this unlikely gangland setting Pinkie, also called "the Boy", avenges the murder of his colleague Kite, by killing newspaperman - and informant - Fred Hale. However Hale meets, on his last day of life, the easygoing Ida Arnold, whose watchword is "I believe in right and wrong." Ida's indefatigable quest for the truth mirrors Pinkie's amoral efforts to conceal it, especially when he courts and marries innocent young waitress Rosie to prevent her damning testimony. Typically for Greene, Pinkie and Rosie's shared "Roman" (i.e., Catholic) background colours their interaction. The unflagging narrative pace ranges from emotional, moral and sexual elements down to e.g., horse-races and ouija boards. The structure is tight and the plot inexorable. In narrative technique Greene was influenced by Henry James and Ford Madox Ford. Greene himself said that he favoured cinematic techniques; the influence of Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock has been discerned in this book. Descriptions and action are replete with sound effects and cunning camera angles, both moving and static: "Staring out to sea she [Rosie] planned ahead . . . he [Pinkie] could see the years advancing before her eyes like the line of the tide." But it didn't just make a great film - it's a super, disturbing read.

I enjoy Graham Greene's books and bought some used copies from a street vendor a while ago. I took this one with me to read one day because it was the smallest and shortest one of the bunch. I sure was surprised when I quickly discovered that, although it was only 247 pages long, it certainly did pack a wallop. I think it is my favorite so far and I've read quite a few of this author's books. Written way back in 1938, it is set in a world that probably exists only in the memories of the Brits who visited Brighton during that year. For those of you not familiar with the place, Brighton is a seaside resort frequented by working class people. There are hotels and restaurants, a racetrack and all kinds of Boardwalk amusements. It is also run by a mob which rivals any in greed and violence. As usual with Graham Greene, there is a theme of good and evil. The boy named Pinkie is bad; the girl he romances named Rose is good. Both are Catholics and the Catholic belief system looms large in this story, adding depth to the excellent characterizations. The writing is excellent, the descriptions clear and concise. It didn't even take me long to pick up the British slang which included words I had never heard before. There are several murders in this book. And some unforgettable characters. I'll never forget big bosomed good-natured Ida who sets off to solve the murders and save poor Rose's life. There are also some great mob characters. The title of the book has several meanings. It's not only about the place itself. There's a kind of rock candy sold there that is referred to as Brighton Rock. And one of the themes is that it tastes the same all the way through no matter how far down you eat it. Clearly this refers to the main character Pinkie, who is also referred to as "The Boy" and is rotten right down to his core. Put all these elements together and the result is an excellent story that gripped me from the beginning and which I couldn't put down until it was finished. And even though I know that the Brighton of 1938 is no more, I sure would like to visit it. Highly recommended.

Set in the underworld of Brighton between the wars, this book seethes with menace. Pinkie, the boy gangster is stalked by the implacable Ida, the good time girl turned avenger. The plot twists and turns upon itself like a dying snake and the characters plod grimly on their tracks, helpless before their destiny. Mr Greene has brought many elements to his book. there is the ever present Catholicism, the burden of guilt, the fear of Hell's fire. Ida, the avenger, is as dogged and merciless in her own way but, feeling Right on her side, has fewer qualms than Pinkie for all his evil nature. Surely this must rank as one of Mr Greene's greatest books and that, given his range and mastery of the written word, is praise indeed.

I have said it before, and shall say it again - Graham Greene was incapable of writing a bad novel! "Brighton Rock" is yet another miraculous triumph of setting, plot, characterization, thematic unity and everything that makes novels worth reading. In addition, Greene's use of Catholicism and common-sense ethics as coexistent ideologies behind the story, guiding the main characters, gives the novel considerable philosophical weight. One great thing about "Brighton Rock" is that the characters' internal struggles are not simply reducible to good v. evil or right v. wrong, but are asked to distinguish between these two systems. "Brighton Rock" has two protagonists - Pinkie Brown is a teenage gangster, trying to prove his manhood and establish himself as a serious force in the Brighton underworld. Ida Arnold is a healthy, flirtatious, and determined woman who cannot be dissuaded from any purpose. When corrupt newspaperman Charles Hale is killed by Pinkie's gang, Ida's momentary acquaintance with Hale on a Bank Holiday leads her to pursue the truth surrounding his death. The conflict between Pinkie, who falls into a Calvinist-Catholic defeatism, and Ida, who believes in right and Hammurabian justice(an eye for an eye) shapes the rest of the novel.Human sexuality and relationships are important facets of "Brighton Rock." Pinkie and Rose, two young Catholics raised in a run-down, predominantly 'Roman' housing project - constantly struggle with maturity, responsibility, and human physicality. While they view sex as 'mortal sin,' Ida, their pursuer, sees it as 'natural,' and celebratory of life. The complex relationship between Pinkie and the equally young and innocent Rose adds further purpose to Ida's mission.Minor characters like the anemic Spicer, the loyal Dallow, the brusque Cubitt, and the literary lawyer Prewitt, along with Rose's 'moody' parents and his own eternally copulating parents, all complicate Pinkie's inner turmoil - and reveal that Pinkie's supposed manhood is a veil for his inherent weakness and inexperience. Greene's wealth of literary knowledge also adds texture to the novel as a whole. References to Shakespeare, the 18th century actor and Poet Laureate Colley Cibber, Romantic-era poets like Keats and Wordsworth, Victorian literature (Dickens' "David Copperfield"), and modern magazines and motion pictures casts the novel against a history of British literature. Overall, "Brighton Rock" is typical Greene - expertly written and philosophically provocative.

Brighton Rock is the first Graham Greene book I read, and after buying all his books, this is still my favourite. I'm English by birth, and know Brighton well, and I am ever impressed by the evocation of a place exactly as I remember it. I find Pinky a truly disturbing character, and his Rose one of the most sad yet courageous heroines in modern literature. Mr. Greene is so good at drawing "small part" characters, and recreates so well the world of the petty criminal, and the unpleasant, hopeless characters who inhabit it. I have always felt Graham Greene to be the master of the written English language - his books contain neither one word more, nor one word less than they need to. Definitely my favourite author, and this my favourite of his considerable body of work.