I first picked up this book when I had time to kill taking the tube to my placement. After reading a few chapters I hated the book and decided to stop reading it. A friend told me to keep reading, get through the violence and then to discover just how good the book is.I may not have read that many books so far but this book was by far the cleverest written of those I have read.
Anthony Burgess creates his own slang of Russian-style words which are never explained and are left to the reader to decipher for themselves. This added a level of intrigue into a book that I had not experienced before.
The beginning is very violent and the teenagers in the story enjoy every second of it, "then out comes the blood, my brothers, real beautiful", the main character, and narrator, Alex says. Alex speaks to the reader as if they are another member of the gang by using the words "my brothers".
The book is written in 3 parts: The first tells of his violent life as a teenager, committing terrible crimes with his gang of friends, the second his is in prison for killing an old lady as he is trying to rob her. He is keen to get out and get back to his old ways. He hears about the new Ludovic Technique which can "rehabilitate" prisoners and allow them to be set free over a matter of weeks. He is very keen and embarks on the new treatment, little does he know that he will be a changed man when it has finished. The third part sees Alex released from prison but the thought of violence makes him feel physically ill.
The book tackles an interesting, fictional argument concerning the treatment and human rights.
I would highly recommend reading this book, persevere through the violence and you will discover a fantastic book.
Ludovic Technique
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