The Magus

After reading so many of the teen and kid books, this one was a real struggle!  I had read one of this author’s books within the past month, The Collector.  In this book, The Magus by John Fowles, more of the same with the weird psychological thriller.  For this one I would add, somewhat thriller.  First, it was way too long to keep you connected and interested, from my vantage point.  This one is set on a small Greek island, but the protagonist was captured, rather than capturing someone else.  I was less interested in the protagonist Nicholas Urfe, a teacher visiting to help out with local students in the school.  Urfe falls in love and then falls under the “spell” of Maurice Conchis, whom he stumbles upon while swimming in one of the beautiful beaches on the island.  We aren’t sure how Conchis bizarre behavior is framed though it appears that he may have been under the control of Nazis.  Nicholas is unsure of what is real and what is part of his imagination (or part of what Conchis creates).  Reading this late at night doesn’t help!  The novel ends with two lines of Latin poetry which may be interpreted to suggest one possible outcome or another but clarity is missing, which is appropriate and consistent with the rest of this unsatisfying book.  Not my cup of tea.  Too long for this type of read.  Skip it.  His other book is more of the same, shorter and more understandable for the average reader.