THE RAZOR'S EDGE

‘The Razor’s Edge’ is a philosophical musing that sets out to uncover the meaning of life by the popular English writer and playwright W. Somerset Maugham. This lesser known novel was positively received when first published in 1944 in spite of its timing falling in the last year of WWII. The novel has periodically been adapted for the screen and is a perfect choice for Maugham fans and those interested in classic historical fiction.

The novel begins at the end of the Great War when the protagonist, Larry Darrell, who is an enthusiastic young American pilot, returns traumatised from his war experience. Maugham is presented as a narrator in the first person as well as a likeable character, navigating the reader and unravelling the tale of the secretive Larry.

In the first chapter Maugham meets Elliott Templeton, an American ex-pat art dealer, who confides in his friend, retelling the story of his young niece, Isabel who is engaged to Larry who we discover has missed out on university, won’t commit to a career, and is attracted to travel and studying abroad. His fiancé, Isabel, is not happy with this uncertainty, breaks off the engagement, marrying Gray, the son of a wealthy financier from Chicago. Larry moves from Paris to Bonn and then Seville, living on a small inheritance, before heading for spiritual enlightenment in India.

Similar to Larry who can’t settle in America, Elliott leaves Chicago for Europe. Whilst this is at times disarming for the reader whose attention shifts from Larry to Isabel to Elliott and back to Larry, Maugham acts as confidant amongst the cast of characters that are orbiting in and out of Larry’s life, sharing their journeys and secrets with the passing of time.

The themes of the book cover the psychological traumas of the Great War especially for its survivors like Larry who were challenged by societal pressures for material wealth as well as expressing a desire for a different life. The Den enjoyed the paths explored by Maugham presenting an enlightening perspective on this period in history where uncertainty was met with the excitement of travel and a new world order.

Other Maugham novels read and reviewed in the Den’s Library include ‘The Painted Veil’ and ‘Cakes & Ale’.