High-Rise by J. G. Ballard

Now a major film: J.G. Ballard's compelling and unnerving tale of what happens when life in a luxury apartment building descends into chaos. 'Later, as he sat on his balcony eating the dog, Dr Robert Laing reflected on the unusual events that had taken place within this huge apartment building during the previous three months.' Within the walls of an elegant forty-storey high-rise, the affluent tenants are hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on 'enemy' floors, and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for mayhem. In this visionary novel, the veneer of civilised society is stripped away as the inhabitants of the high-rise, driven by primal urges, create a dystopian world ruled by intimidation and violence.

A disturbing novel set in a recently developed high-rise apartment building. I should have been prepared for a wild ride when the first sentence of the books starts with “Later, as he sat on his balcony eating the dog...”. Such a lot of social commentary and satire embedded in this intricate novel. Not a fun read but I'm certainly glad I read it. I'm keen to explore more of Ballard's writing.

My first foray into Ballard, which is probably ridiculously long overdue.

So. Yeah. Privileged rich people in a big building go Lord of the Flies, but it's quite absurdist. No one is poor, just varied levels of wealthy. And with all the tech at their disposal, they all go slowly mad until they are warring with each other and destroying everything in the building. The devolve each of them into something bestial and crude.

I don't find this story to be viable, but if I liked it more, liked the characters more, I could suspend my disbelief.

The movie doesn't help the situation. I thought the cast was distracting. And all I could picture WAS the cast throughout this book.

Not my favorite, but because Ballard is important, and I loved the movie ‘Empire of the Sun,' this will not be my last.