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ms_gouldbourne's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I've never read any J.G. Ballard before, but after enjoying the movie of High Rise I was interested to dive into the strange, brutalistic modern world as portrayed in Concrete Island. Ballard has an intelligent and easy-to-read narrative style, and he's clearly an author who has something to say.
Concrete Island introduces us to Robert Maitland, a privileged and generally unlikeable architect who crashes his car at the beginning of the novel and finds himself stranded in a patch of wasteland beside the motorway, unable to leave due to the high sides and his own injuries. This is of course unthinkable in today's era of mobile phones, but the early descriptions of Maitland's isolation and increasing desperation as he attempts to escape the island were visceral in the fear they provoked. The island itself was a fascinating blend of the natural and the manmade, and I thought that Maitland's descent into madness was well described.
So far, so good. But after a strong beginning, Concrete Island meandered in the second half as new characters were introduced and Ballard seemed to be unsure where he wanted to go with the story. I think the problem is that there actually isn't much of a story there to be told - it's a clever concept, an interesting snapshot of an idea, but beyond that there just isn't a lot of substance. The sex scene with Jane literally made me roll my eyes - as did most of her characterisation - and my belief in Maitland as a character began to waver as a consequence.
Overall, I'm definitely glad I read Concrete Island - Ballard is a master of concept, deftly weaving subtle commentary on a variety of bigger topics into his narrative. However, the end didn't live up to the beginning, and that was a shame.
Concrete Island introduces us to Robert Maitland, a privileged and generally unlikeable architect who crashes his car at the beginning of the novel and finds himself stranded in a patch of wasteland beside the motorway, unable to leave due to the high sides and his own injuries. This is of course unthinkable in today's era of mobile phones, but the early descriptions of Maitland's isolation and increasing desperation as he attempts to escape the island were visceral in the fear they provoked. The island itself was a fascinating blend of the natural and the manmade, and I thought that Maitland's descent into madness was well described.
So far, so good. But after a strong beginning, Concrete Island meandered in the second half as new characters were introduced and Ballard seemed to be unsure where he wanted to go with the story. I think the problem is that there actually isn't much of a story there to be told - it's a clever concept, an interesting snapshot of an idea, but beyond that there just isn't a lot of substance. The sex scene with Jane literally made me roll my eyes - as did most of her characterisation - and my belief in Maitland as a character began to waver as a consequence.
Overall, I'm definitely glad I read Concrete Island - Ballard is a master of concept, deftly weaving subtle commentary on a variety of bigger topics into his narrative. However, the end didn't live up to the beginning, and that was a shame.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Ableism
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