The Narrow Corner

For me, one of life's pleasures is reading or rereading Somerset Maugham. The luster of his prose never dulls; his ability to capture a character vividly always intrigues. He never does this with anything as prosaic has a physical description or "He Said," but rather by revealing a telling thought or action. Thus, it was with happy anticipation that I opened THE NARROW CORNER. Once again Maugham carries us to the far corners of the world and introduces rare characters who meet aboard ship, a lugger to be exact. We meet Dr. Saunders, an opium addicted medic, who has lived and practiced in Fu-chou for 15 years. He is an easy man to get along with, observant and non-judgmental. "Right and wrong were no more to him than good weather and bad weather. He took them as they came. He judged but he did not condemn. He laughed." Saunders is paid a sizeable sum of money to go to Takana to perform surgery on a nearly blind former patient. It turns out to be an incredible journey both on sea and land. The lugger is a rather sad vessel captained by Nichols, an unsavory character, happy to be escaping from his nagging missus. Saunders finds but one other passenger on board, Fred Blake, a mysterious young man. It seems that Nichols had been retained to take Blake to sea. Following a horrendous storm the ship puts in at a small island, Kanda, formerly a center for spice trade. Here they not only find refuge but the beginnings of a dark drama. They meet a meager few islanders who are barely making a living, yet seem content with their lot. Among them is a beautiful young woman, Louise. What follows is unexpected emotional upheaval and death. Maugham sprinkles his narrative with descriptions of the tropical island so vivid that one can almost feel the heat. To read this author is to recognize a master at work, and to read one of his short novels such as THE NARROW CORNER is simply to leave one wanting more. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke

This is one of Maugham's best novels. It really reads like one of his short stories which has been very extended and expanded. Highly recommended.

Maugham writes about a British doctor who lives in the South Pacific. At the outset of this book, Dr. Saunders must travel to China to help out a wealthy man. Once there, he completes his task and must wait for a boat to take him back to his home. During the waiting process, he runs into a pair of traders, who offer to take him back part of the way. The traders, Captain Nichols, and his associate Fred Blake, are two very interesting characters who aren't what they seem to be. During their travels, Dr. Saunders learns more about the pair. Nichols is a scoundrel and has problems holding a job. Fred Blake, a young and handsome man, hides his past, but the reader is given clues that he had to flee from Sydney to avoid the authorities(which is later revealed). During a storm, the trio befriend fellow British people on a beautiful island. They learn some of the history and are introduced to Louise; a beautiful girl who is smitten by Blake. They have a one night fling, which causes the story's tension to begin -- Blake is haunted by his past and Louise's fiancée (who she loves, but not with her heart) commits suicide over the incident. Dr. Saunders is a spectator for the most part in this story. His life's philosophy is take what one can from life and learn to deal with it. He watches the various characters interact -- and Maugham does a great job with the characters. The writing is almost like Hemingway and the reader is drawn into the feeling of the South Pacific. The book is fairly deep -- with hints of Buddhism / Hinduism, karma, and detachment. The book was very slow to start (took about half way before any plot developed) but the writing hooked me and the ending was a gold mine.

Although this book was met with less than glowing reviews and is little known today, it probably best exemplifies the expresson, "That (It) was right out of Somerset Maugham." It has all the trappings that we think of when we think of Maugham. If there is a "Greeneland" (Graham Greene) then this novel is most assuredly, Maughamland. It takes place in the East Indies and has the string of colorful characters, an Opiem taking Doctor, A broken down sea captain and a women who finds herself liberated by the death of a man she is attached to. Probably Maugham's fifth most important novel, it is rather like taking many of his short story themes and elongating them into one novel. The lead character, Dr. Sanders finally resigns himself to a lazy mans view of Buddhist Non-atachment and it becomes a theme Maugham would explore more deeply in the "Razor's Edge." Like most of Maugham it is a alot of fun to read. Even, or maybe especially, today.