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A review by apawney97
The Inheritors by William Golding
2.0
This book turned out to be very underwhelming. It took me a long time to finish it and it left me really underwhelmed. Whilst I understand Golding's motive behind the writing of this novel - an attempt to emulate the mind and manners of Neanderthal men, the language turns out to be very convoluted in its simplicity. The use of communal metaphors such as the 'log', the 'picture' and the 'Oa', although alluded to MANY times remain vague until the end and the main character makes it even harder to get into the story, since he is evidently the least intellectual of the Neanderthal race (!!!).
I get the whole almost colonial aspect of the looming sense of invasion as the Homo Sapiens get closer and start to take lives from the Neanderthal tribe, but their rendering remains very questionable since it is treated through such an unreliable character. The penultimate chapter is this sort of omniscient perspective which shows you the struggles of the last Neanderthal man (had to Google this to actually understand!) - a chapter which almost reads like an animal fable (or insect fable?) of sorts (excessively symbolic and complex in this context) - whilst the final chapter shifts to the perspective of the Homo Sapiens. What irritated me the most was the fact that when the torch of language is moved from the Neanderthal to the Homo Sapiens, the novel's language suddenly flourishes and becomes, on the other extreme, a bit too refined - a bit too sure of itself. It is dubious that a species of man which existed simultaneously with another could have had such superior control over the language. I do get that they are not actually speaking - that it is mostly a 'translation' of their movements, consciousness and attempts at language, but to me it is still not credible if one is to take it as a paleoanthropological fictional venture. The characters are not memorable and their struggles do not really generate the pathos which they are intended to.
Whilst the original intention is, without a doubt, brilliant and visionary, the delivery left a lot to be desired. Maybe because it's too ambitious or it takes itself too seriously?
I get the whole almost colonial aspect of the looming sense of invasion as the Homo Sapiens get closer and start to take lives from the Neanderthal tribe, but their rendering remains very questionable since it is treated through such an unreliable character. The penultimate chapter is this sort of omniscient perspective which shows you the struggles of the last Neanderthal man (had to Google this to actually understand!) - a chapter which almost reads like an animal fable (or insect fable?) of sorts (excessively symbolic and complex in this context) - whilst the final chapter shifts to the perspective of the Homo Sapiens. What irritated me the most was the fact that when the torch of language is moved from the Neanderthal to the Homo Sapiens, the novel's language suddenly flourishes and becomes, on the other extreme, a bit too refined - a bit too sure of itself. It is dubious that a species of man which existed simultaneously with another could have had such superior control over the language. I do get that they are not actually speaking - that it is mostly a 'translation' of their movements, consciousness and attempts at language, but to me it is still not credible if one is to take it as a paleoanthropological fictional venture. The characters are not memorable and their struggles do not really generate the pathos which they are intended to.
Whilst the original intention is, without a doubt, brilliant and visionary, the delivery left a lot to be desired. Maybe because it's too ambitious or it takes itself too seriously?