The Double Tongue by William GoldingMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
"But the gods are real, aren't they?“
“You can make a debate about everything and anguish about it, like Socrates... But do you notice... When he stopped people in the streets... They were anxious to get away? It wasn't their world, you see. They themselves didn't question each footstep because walking came naturally."
Before finding this secondhand book, I only knew of the author as the man who wrote LORD OF THE FLIES. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that he wrote several other historical fiction books as well! Ranging in subjects from the Neanderthals to the London Blitz, Ancient Egypt to Medieval cathedral builders.
This novel was his last, which may explain why the second half seemed underdeveloped. But nevertheless, the writing style shone through. Brisk and efficient, but with several phrases that require a moment for digestion.
It tells of Arieka, an ugly young girl born at the twilight of Greek civilization (circa 1 BCE?) who is trained to become the next Pythia, the Oracle at Delphi.
For a male author, I thought he captured the female voice quite well! I could hear Arieka's voice change as she transitioned from young woman to old age. He also dealt with the issue of prophecy in a historical way, kind of like what Mary Renault did for the Minotaur in THE KING MUST DIE. Using anthropological insight instead of succumbing to myth and legend, this novel tells a very plausible tale, although in the end, it is still up to the reader to interpret the events as told by our less-than-credible narrator.
It is very much worth reading, and I will be looking for more William Golding books this 2020!
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