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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Left me wondering,
By
This review is from: The world of violence
The book I have is the alternately titled The Violent World of Hugh Greene, which I believe is the same novel as the World of Violence. Both of these editions are out of print at the time I'm writing this, which is too bad since this is one of Colin Wilson's most interesting novels. This one's got some street thugs, cops, and seedy underworld types in it, so it may have, at one time, been marketed as your standard crime fiction; however, it's really a novel of ideas. Readers looking for the usual twists and turns of the conventional thriller may be disappointed; instead, the events of this book really only serve to aid Hugh Greene, the young narrator, in the formulation of his own philosophical ideas. That said, The World of Violence is not without suspense or a mysterious, sinister-things-beneath-the-surface atmosphere.
I love this kind of book, and I found many of the philosophical discussions that take place and Greene's own existential musings to be especially memorable. Although the story takes place in middle-twentieth century London, many of his observations are still right on today. This story unfolds amidst an oppressive background of dissatisfaction and malaise filled with the agonizing trivialities and nuisances of modern urban life and several of the exchanges of ideas that take place in the book deal with the strategies that sensitive intellectual-types have adopted in order to come to terms with their world. Wilson offers some interesting insights into human sexuality and the criminal impulse to commit violent acts. One scene depicts the late-night livingroom confession of a sex killer, and the strange matter-of-fact way this conversation is rendered is absolutely chilling. A large part of the World of Violence centers around a clumsy act of violence involving Greene (an incident he could have avoided), which comes as no surprise since the tension in the plot had been building toward the incident for several chapters. What struck me as strange and fascinating was Greene's own processing of the event. There is no Raskolnikov-like frenzy of guilt and emotion, instead he suffers, for the most part - and this is hard to describe - on an intellectual level as result of his action. Greene seems to remain in a state of detached curiosity regarding his fate. The violence actually brings him into a vague state of existential despair about the potential of human beings in general! While reading this I was wondering to myself whether I should admire Greene for being so steadfast in his sense of the correctness of his actions, his cool head, and his disregard for the approval of his community - or, I wondered, is this character a sociopath who coldly uses the people around him for his own scientific insights and philosophical development? I'm still not sure what to think. I have another isolated remark concerning The World of Violence. It is this. The novel really illuminates the limitations some people have as opposed to others. Many of these limitations are engendered by society - these are the conventional expectations which dicate to us how we are to behave and what possibilities are open to us. People are also imprisoned by their emotions, passing moods, and hidden desires - seemingly unable to take control of themselves. Many of the peripheral characters, such as Hugh's co-workers, his family, and some of the underworld types, exemplify this type. They appear to lack the inclination to address any of the deeper questions; instead, I got the sense while reading this that these characters were being swept along by circumstances, wrapped up in their own urges and the trivial events of day-to-day life. Wilson contrasts these with other individuals who have attempted to articulate some world conception that represents their attempts to deal with the problem of existence. It's interesting to see the ways in which Hugh Greene learns from these world views and how he eventually comes to reject some of them. During the course of his journey, Greene appears to attain a deeper understanding of life, and yet something about this character seemed too cerebral and cold. But perhaps that's just me. These are just a few things about The World of Violence that make for interesting points of discussion. This book can also be enjoyed simply as a suspenseful mystery and battle of wits between policemen, criminals, and a young amateur psychologist. A good read, if you can find a copy.
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