“His mind was concrete and moved with difficulty in regions of the abstract; but, even when he could not follow the reasoning, it gave him a curious pleasure to follow the tortuosities of thoughts that threaded their nimble way on the edge of the incomprehensible.”

From Of Human Bondage (LIII, p 256)

W. Somerset Maugham was a master of character portrayal and Of Human Bondage is his classic ‘coming of age’ novel (a Bildungsroman). The protagonist, Philip Carey, is a sensitive, intelligent boy, born with a clubfoot and raised by a religious aunt and uncle. He is an outwardly dull, shy character, but leads a rich inner life. The novel follows Philip from age nine to thirty: the arc of a character who yearned for a lofty, philosophical life, but eventually settled comfortably in what he had always considered the mundane.

Of Human Bondage is a simple story (and I’ve read many reviews that decry the lack of action), but the writing is genuine and compelling. Maugham’s short stories are exceptional, but Of Human Bondage is his masterpiece.

Highly Recommended