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The Castle

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The million-copy bestselling author of The Psychopath Test, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed and the award-winning BBC podcast Things Fell Apart moves to Penguin for his first book in eleven years, a darkly comic true crime mystery set within the masculinity crisis, The Castle.

When Jon Ronson’s son Joel is lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England under false pretences late one evening, it sets Ronson Sr. off on an extraordinary adventure into a world of unmoored men on a desperate search for purpose, whatever the cost.

Why did the wealthy scion of a gilded age tycoon entice Jon’s son to his castle on the pretext of a party, when the reality was something else entirely? Could Jon uncover what was really going on inside that strange castle? Why was a popular online lawncare influencer wrongly implicated in a bizarre plot to traumatize millions of unsuspecting children? And, more pressingly, why are two recently paroled murderers on their way to pay Jon an ominous visit?

Against the backdrop of the sometimes moving, often disturbing masculinity crisis, Jon follows the trail of those men who are acting out, checked out or just plain out of time. Drawing on his trademark brand of humour, psychological insight and unrivalled prescience, and told in the riveting style of a true crime thriller, The Castle marks Jon Ronson’s triumphant return to the written page in his darkest and most wildly enjoyable journey yet – deep into the recesses of the Castle and the secret lives of men.

PRAISE FOR JON RONSON:

‘Simultaneously frightening and hilarious’ The Times

‘Funny and compulsively readable’ Louis Theroux

‘His scalpel-sharp journalistic mind comes wrapped in disarming, diffident warmth’ Miranda Sawyer, Guardian

‘Ronson is one of our most important modern-day thinkers’ US News & World Report

‘Funny and thought-provoking . . . original, inspired journalism’ Financial Times

‘Gutsy and smart’ New York Times

‘Simmering with humour, weirdness and pathos’ Sunday Times

‘A diligent investigator and a wry, funny writer, Ronson manages to be at once academic and entertaining’ Boston Globe

‘The belly laughs come thick and fast – my God, he is funny’ Observer

About Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson’s non-fiction books include So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, Them: Adventures with Extremists, Lost at Sea and The Men Who Stare At Goats. They have all been international and/or New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into more than thirty languages. Most recently, Jon made two series of the acclaimed BBC podcast Things Fell Apart, which won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for podcast of the year and reached number one in the UK and Ireland podcast charts. Before that came three Audible Original audio series: The Debutante, which won the 2023 Signal Gold Award for best true crime podcast, The Butterfly Effect and The Last Days of August. The Psychopath Test spent more than a year on the UK bestseller list. Jon’s live show based on the book – Psychopath Night – has sold out theatres and concert halls across the UK and Ireland. The next leg of the tour will kick off in November 2025. He lives in New York.
Details
  • Imprint: Viking
  • ISBN: 9780241754771
  • Length: 304 pages
  • Price: £20.00
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