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Synopsis
A vicious fifteen-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic, whose stark terror was captured in Stanley Kubrick's magnificent film of the same title. In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?" This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition and Burgess's introduction "A Clockwork Orange Resucked". (back cover)
Tags
A Clockwork Orange: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
Extremely graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault narrated by a teenage sociopath in invented slang. Explores profound questions about free will and state control, but the brutal content requires mature adult readers.
What to know going in
This book has graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and strong language. Content notes include sexual assault, rape, torture, graphic violence, and murder (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
This challenging philosophical novel explores what happens when the government tries to reform violent criminals through radical means.