Synopsis: In this nightmare vision of a not-too-distant future, fifteen-year-old Alex and his three friends rob, rape, torture and murder - for fun. Alex is jailed for his vicious crimes and the State undertakes to reform him - but how and at what cost?
Review
Well, here it is, the third finished novel of the year, and by far the strangest book I've ever had the - shall we say - pleasure of reading.
Although the book deals with some serious issues such as rape, violence and crime - enough to put some people off - I feel that this is a piece of literature that everyone should read. My reasons for this are simple: the novel is thought-provoking, intriguing, and throughout I felt connected with the main protagonist, Alex; perhaps a strange thing to say about a fifteen year delinquent who enjoys gang-crime and extreme violent acts, but who also enjoys classical music. Particularly Beethoven's Ninth.
Some people who will read this novel, will have no sympathy for a child who shows no remorse and causes so much hurt and violence to perfectly innocent people as he turns them into his victims, but as the novel progressed I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who began to sympathise with the troubles that the government force upon him after he is finally arrested and put in jail for his actions.
Now, I feel it necessary to mention the language used within this novel, as it can be challenging at first to understand. I've even know people cast this book away on the principle that they can not get used to the language used; Burgess uses an experimental teenage-slang language at many points during the book. However, I feel that with a little bit of perseverance you can soon begin to decipher what means what, and it doesn't distract from the plot at all.
Now, in conclusion I imagine that opinion about this novel is divided right down the middle; some will say he got what he deserved, others will disagree. I do know one thing for sure: this novel is one that everyone should read at some point in their lives.
5/5.
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