Rites of Passage

It's the tail end of the Napoleonic wars and a superannuated warship makes its way very, very slowly from England to Australia. Among the passengers are Mr. Edmund Talbot, aristocrat, headed for a term as assistant to the Governor, thanks to the influence of his patron and godfather. He keeps a journal for the latter's eventual entertainment and we are treated to his stumbling attempts to understand the nautical world. Still, he's a gentleman and that smooths his way. He has various small adventures, social and amorous, all of it lighthearted to the reader. then we meet the Rev. Mr. Colley, newly frocked and headed for his first congregation, and a very different sort of personality from Talbot, not to mention the ship's officers and men. And from there the story begins a slide into a much darker place, culminating in the "rite" of Crossing the Line, when Mr. Colley is humiliated once too often, and subsequent events result in a funeral at sea. Golding has absolute control of his subject and his characters, sucking you into a consideration of the nature of Justice, and of the division between the social orders. This is not at all a "fun" book, but it's a very affecting one.

I can't recall another first person narrative that is so effective in giving (apparent) authentic voice to a character as that given by Mr Golding to the young aristocrat Mr Edmund Talbot and how revealing that is of the times, the class system, dress, morality, habits, and so on, on a long sea voyage. Details of the ship itself, the characters that people it, and the events that occasion it on its journey, are masterfully drawn (so that's where - some of us - came from!) I also laughed out loud as it is richly comic as well (Dickens would have laughed out loud too I bet!) not least in the circumlocutions used by the narrator. A journey for him in a number of senses. Also one of the funniest lovemaking scenes I can recall ever having read. A joy of a novel.

I have not had the opportunity to read the other parts in this trilogy, but for me this novel hangs together exceptionally well as an individual story. In brief, it is written as the journal of Edmund Talbot, composed for his godfather and patron, an English lord, during a journey from England to Australia sometime during the early 19th century. In particular, it deals with the events before, and the investigation subsequent to, the death of a parson who is also on board.Because of the setting, characters of diverse backgrounds are thrown into closer contact than they might otherwise have had. This means that notions of class and how it impacts upon individuals play an important part in the novel. Questions of faith and the effect that it has upon actions are also crucial. Ultimately this is a very human story (much as is Golding's most famous book `Lord Of The Flies') as it deals with the way that people react when put into extreme (and not so extreme) circumstances.This is certainly a book worth reading on its own terms. However, it has also whet my appetite to find and read the other two books, `Close Quarters' and "Fire Down Below'.