The Collector - Back Bay Books | Psychological Thriller Novel | Perfect for Book Clubs & Mystery Lovers

The Collector is a novel by British writer John Fowles. It tells the story of Ferdinand Clegg, a civil servant who lives with his aunt and cousin. When he wins a football pool, he buys a home in a secluded rural location in England, and realizes his desire to meet young art student Miranda. While his aunt and cousin are in Australia visiting relatives, Ferdinand, an avid butterfly collector, adds another beautiful specimen to his collection--by kidnapping Miranda and taking her to his 17th century house. There he will keep her, feed her, battle with her, and finally lose her.The story is cleverly told in three parts. First, we are told the story from Ferdinand's point of view, in retrospect, through paraphrased conversations. In the second part, we read Miranda's diary and discover many things about her personal life, including loves, her feelings about art, relationships and her politics. Finally, we return to Ferdinand, who adds more insight into his relationship with Miranda--its tensions and occasional swings to civility on the young artist's part.The Collector is not just a psychological tale, although that is the overlying characteristic Fowles puts forth through it. It also addresses the clash between classes, through Ferdinand's obstinance and Miranda's frustration--and occasional snobbery towards her captor, whom she nickname's Caliban after the misshapen character from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Furthermore, while we are at times horrified at what Ferdinand ultimately puts Miranda through--the confinement, the forced erotic photos she becomes the subject of, we also find that Miranda too can be cruel and ultimately condescending to Ferdinand. Herein lies the novel's brilliance: a kidnapping and tragedy, but also a multi-dimensional look at the complexity of the human condition and also class divisions--which were a stinging indictment of Britain's social failings at the time.The Collector is an engaging read--at times sensitive and yet ultimately disturbing, but certainly thought-provoking. In so many ways Ferdinand does not seem to be such a horrible man, yet his actions are clearly shocking, and the results simply sad. Having lost his beloved Miranda, he then sets his sights on another young woman. That story remains untold, but clearly adds a bit of a chill to the conclusion.Made into a film in 1965, The Collector remains a great read, even though much of depth of the text is left out by director William Wyler, whose otherwise competent work makes it more than watchable. Still, as always, it's the book that really deserves primary attention, and it works wonderfully on so many levels.For fans of this sort of thickly layered British novel, The Collector is highly recommended.